An ordinary residential area in Košice, locked doors, and inside — a full technological line stamping out Marlboro Gold and Marlboro Red cigarettes. This scene was found on August 17, 2026, by employees of the Kriminálny úrad finančnej správy (Criminal Office of the Financial Administration of Slovakia) during raids in the eastern part of the country. The warehouse of finished products was found separately — in the city of Michalovce, reports Pravda.
As a result of the operation, 18 foreigners — citizens of Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania — were detained and charged. According to the investigation, they all were part of an international organized criminal group. The prosecutor's office has already filed a motion to detain the suspects. If found guilty, they face from one to five years in prison.
Following the raid, the following were seized:
- over 9.1 million finished cigarettes without Slovak excise stamps;
- more than 26.5 tons of tobacco and tobacco raw materials;
- a complete technological line for cigarette production;
- vehicles and over 10,000 euros in cash.
The preliminary amount of excise tax evasion was estimated at 6.39 million euros. This makes the operation one of the largest for the financial administration this year, writes TASR.
They did not plan to sell the finished products in Slovakia. The cigarettes were intended for illegal sale in Western European markets, and the investigation does not exclude that part of the goods were to be supplied to the United Kingdom. Therefore, they did not have local excise stamps, adds Korzár.
All detainees were charged with violating state technical regulations for product labeling and illegal production of tobacco products as part of an organized group. The investigation continues: law enforcement is clarifying the full supply chain of raw materials and sales channels.
For Ukrainians in Slovakia, here is a practical conclusion: offers of “easy earnings” in dubious productions or warehouses without documents often end not with a salary but with handcuffs. If you are looking for official work, check vacancies through verified channels, for example, in our section about work in Slovakia.
