Eighteen people freed from working in slave labour conditions during raids on illegal tobacco factories in Malaga and Cordoba

The Guardia Civil, in collaboration with the Spanish tax agency's customs surveillance service, have dismantled a criminal organisation which is believed to have set up illegal counterfeit and contraband tobacco factories in the provinces of Malaga and Cordoba. Some 21 people have been arrested and 18 people of different nationalities who were working in subhuman conditions have been released.

The investigation began after reports of the alleged installation of an illegal tobacco production factory in a town in the province of Malaga, the authorities said in a statement.

A surveillance operation was set up on one of the main suspects in the organisation, which led officers to a second factory in Cordoba province.

Searches at both factories led to the seizure of over three million euros' worth of fraudulent manufacturing equipment.

It is estimated that the organisation had a daily production capacity of eight million counterfeit cigarettes with a value of more than two million euros per day in tax fraud.

In addition, the Guardia Civil found that the organisation recruited people from Asian and Eastern European countries through different means, offering them very attractive working conditions.

Once these people arrived in Spain they were transferred by members of the organisation to the aforementioned factories, where they were held in overcrowded living and working conditions.

The officers found that these people were being exploited in continuous working hours without rest, without any pay and arguing that they had to pay off an alleged debt contracted with the organisation.

The investigation ended with the arrest of 21 people, who were charged with crimes of human trafficking, fraud against the tax authorities, tobacco smuggling, membership of a criminal organisation and crimes against industrial property.

The operation was carried out by the customs surveillance operational units of Malaga and Seville, the Seville judicial police unit and the Roca team in Antequera (Malaga province), both of the Guardia Civil.