Ukrainians thrown out of Denmark after distributing 27 million cigarettes
The Ukrainian man has been convicted of having helped produce and redistribute at least 27 million illegal cigarettes, which has resulted in the Danish treasury missing out on around 65 million Danish kroner, equivalent to 87 million Norwegian kroner, in tobacco taxes. This is what the Danish Special Crime Unit (NSK) writes in a press release.
The sentence is part of an extensive court case about the production of illegal cigarettes and serious tax fraud, in Kolding, east of Jutland in Denmark, according to the Danish newspaper BT.
The man has acknowledged his role in the case, where he was also sentenced to a fine of over 58 million Danish kroner (78 million Norwegian kroner).
NSK raided and arrested 14 foreign men at an illegal cigarette factory on an agricultural property near Vamdrup in Kolding in 2021.
It must be the result of a coordinated investigation with the assistance of Europol, the Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Customs Service and several foreign police authorities.
The police seized over eleven million cigarettes, several tons of tobacco and a large amount of professional production equipment.
A total of 14 men have been charged in the case, one of whom has been sentenced to four years in prison, an additional fine of 71 million Danish kroner, around 91 million Norwegian kroner, and deportation from Denmark.
The case against the remaining twelve men has not yet started.