European prosecutors, working in close coordination with Italian law enforcement authorities, have dismantled a large-scale illegal cigarette manufacturing operation in Italy, dealing a significant blow to organized crime networks involved in tobacco smuggling across the European Union. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) confirmed on December 18 that it had ordered the seizure of an industrial tobacco factory valued at more than €2 million ($2.3 million), alongside vast quantities of illicit tobacco products and counterfeit materials.

The operation uncovered a highly sophisticated and industrialized production facility capable of manufacturing millions of counterfeit cigarettes per day. According to EPPO, the factory was equipped with two high-capacity production lines, allowing it to produce up to four million cigarettes daily. Authorities described the site as one of the most advanced illegal tobacco factories uncovered in Italy in recent years, highlighting the scale and organization behind the criminal enterprise.

In addition to the factory itself, investigators seized 27 tonnes of finished cigarettes, 19 tonnes of raw tobacco, and 134 pallets of production materials. These included cigarette packaging bearing the logos and branding of well-known international tobacco companies, indicating widespread trademark counterfeiting and a deliberate attempt to deceive consumers and evade regulatory oversight. The presence of such branding suggests that the illicit products were intended to closely mimic legitimate cigarettes sold across........

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