Spanish police say tobacco worth more than €37 million has been seized in a campaign to crack down on banned tobacco. The Guardia Civil stated that more than 3.5 million packets of tobacco and 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) of tobacco leaves were seized during Operation FATACA. The Guardia Civil said the operation began in 2021, where a secret tobacco factory inside a chicken shed near Seville was dismantled. The bust led the Guardia Civil to another European tobacco-smuggling organization, which was said to have used Ukrainians displaced by the war to work in factories and manufacture more than 540,000 packets of cigarettes per day. According to the Guardia Civil, three such factories were located in Alfaro, Los Corrales and Enquera, with plans to open a fourth in Osasuna. The Guardia Civil said that the organization also imported undeclared tobacco for resale without paying the relevant taxes. Seven properties and 25 vehicles were seized by the Guardia Civil and Europol, along with 27 arrests. The Guardia Civil said that 24 raids had been carried out in total. credit: Guardia Civil via Storyful