Officers of the Border Guard and the National Revenue Administration carried out a wide-ranging operation targeting organized excise-duty crime. As a result of activities conducted in three provinces, 18 people suspected of involvement in the illegal operation were detained.
The operation was conducted on the orders of the Jelenia Góra District Prosecutor’s Office and covered the Lower Silesian, Lubusz and Kuyavian-Pomeranian provinces. Officers from the Border Guard Post in Zgorzelec took part in the operation, supported by customs and tax offices and the police.
The scale of the operation is staggering
Investigators established that the group operated from July 2022 to February 2026. During that time, it put more than 485 million cigarettes without Polish excise stamps into circulation. Losses to the State Treasury were estimated at as much as PLN 640 million.
During searches of more than 40 locations, officers discovered, among other things, an operating cigarette factory. More than 13 million tobacco products worth over PLN 12 million and a complete production line were secured at the site.
Drugs and secured assets
More than 2 kilograms of precursors for the production of drugs were also found at the same location.
The services secured property with a total value of nearly PLN 10 million. The seized assets included money in various currencies, gold, vehicles and real estate.
Charges and detentions
The suspects were presented with a number of charges, including participation in an organized criminal group, illegal cigarette production and possession of narcotic substances and precursors. They face up to 8 years in prison for the alleged offenses.
The District Court in Jelenia Góra decided to remand five people in pre-trial detention. Other suspects were subjected to non-custodial measures, such as property bail, police supervision and a ban on leaving the country.
Who are the suspects?
Among those detained were 2 women and 16 men aged 21 to 66. The investigation is still ongoing, and the services do not rule out further arrests.