Apr 09 - 33 Arrested As Guardia Civil Hits La Linea Smuggling Ring
The Guardia Civil has arrested 33 people on suspicion of belonging to an extensive criminal network that smuggled tobacco from Gibraltar for distribution to the rest of Andalucia.
The large law enforcement clampdown, known as operation 'Kozel’, has involved the search of 15 kiosks and bars and resulted in the seizure of 41 vehicles and 33,000 euros believed to derive from the sale of contraband cigarettes.
Reports claim that the smuggling ring had a fleet of vehicles with hidden compartments which were used to transport the tobacco from Gibraltar across the land frontier to be stored in safe houses and stores in La Linea. Cigarettes were then distributed to shops and houses as far away as Huelva and sold to the public.
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