A real underground bunker , hidden under an apparently abandoned warehouse, was discovered by the Guardia di Finanza during an operation against cigarette production and smuggling.
The clandestine factory , camouflaged by a complex hydraulic device, was capable of producing up to 7.2 million cigarettes a day, for a potential annual turnover estimated at over 900 million euros .
Access to the underground laboratory was hidden inside a common box, inside which was concealed an electric remote control : by pressing a specific combination of keys, a mechanism was activated that raised a fake aluminum structure used as an office , effectively revealing the entrance to a bunker reachable by a freight elevator.
Inside, investigators found three processing and packaging lines, as well as over 150 tons of counterfeit cigarettes , ready to be placed on the Italian and European markets.
The cigarettes, which could be traced back to various well-known brands, were produced with highly specialized machinery, including dryers, humidifiers, packaging machines, labeling machines and sealing systems.
The level of organization surprised even the investigators: the basement housed 18 beds , bathrooms, showers, a dining room and even a workshop for machinery maintenance, available to workers who worked in shifts to ensure continuous production.
In addition to the finished products, more than 170 tons of precursors were also found, including 12 million counterfeit cardboard boxes, 15 million filters, and 20 million laminate sheets, as well as reels and other manufacturing materials.
The overall value of the plant has been estimated at over 1.75 million euros, with a production capacity of approximately 5,000 cigarettes per minute.
Not far away, the finance police discovered other warehouses and storage facilities, used to store foreign-produced tobacco . Here, they seized two vehicles and four semi-trailers, worth a total of approximately €620,000, all loaded with counterfeit cigarettes.
