Phoenix 24
A hidden workshop supplied a cross-border market.
MISLATA, SPAIN | JULY 2026
Spain’s Civil Guard has dismantled a criminal network accused of producing counterfeit premium cigars inside an apartment in Mislata, near Valencia. Investigators seized 33,840 cigars bearing falsified branding and more than 637,000 counterfeit cigar bands. Three people were arrested and four others remain under investigation.
The operation began after officers detected several shipments leaving the same address under different commercial descriptions. Investigators traced the packages to a residential property that had been converted into an unauthorized production and packaging center. Authorities said the location lacked the licenses required for manufacturing or distributing tobacco products.
During the search, agents found thousands of finished cigars, specialized machinery and labels imitating internationally recognized Cuban brands. The counterfeit products were presented as premium items associated with names such as Cohiba and Punch. Their appearance was designed to reproduce the packaging and visual identity of cigars sold at significantly higher prices in the legal market.
Police also intercepted four shipments that had already left the apartment for destinations in other European countries. Those packages contained more than 6,000 additional cigars, revealing the international reach of the operation. Investigators believe the group used the apartment as both a production center and a distribution hub.
Those involved are suspected of smuggling, violating industrial property rights, belonging to a criminal organization and committing offenses against workers’ rights. The investigation was led by the Civil Guard’s fiscal and border unit in Valencia. The case has been transferred to the courts in Llíria.
Información que anticipa futuros. / Information that anticipates futures.