Related videos:
The Civil Guard dismantled a clandestine workshop for the manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit habanos cigars this Saturday, located in a residence in Mislata, a municipality in the province of Valencia, as reported by the authorities in an official statement.
The operation, carried out by the Financial and Border Analysis and Research Unit (UDAIFF) of Valencia, resulted in the arrest of three individuals and the investigation of four others for being part of a criminal organization that distributed counterfeit products throughout Europe.
A total of 33,840 counterfeit habano cigars were seized, of which 27,852 were stored in the home itself and another 6,258 were intercepted in four shipments for international distribution.
Along with the cigars, agents seized 637,646 fake vitolas —the brand rings that identify the habanos— from various brands, including Cohiba and Punch, as well as machinery for the production and packaging of the cigars.
The modus operandi of the network involved manufacturing inferior quality cigars and equipping them with fake labels, boxes, and seals from premium Cuban brands to sell them as authentic habanos in the European market, where a box of 25 counterfeit "Churchill" cigars can fetch between 300 and 400 euros.
The investigation began when agents detected a suspicious pattern: shipments of cigars with different brand names consistently originating from the same address in Mislata and heading to various countries on the continent.
The occupants of the property also lacked the necessary licenses to carry out that economic activity, the Civil Guard's statement emphasized.
The detainees face charges of smuggling, industrial property crimes, membership in a criminal organization, and violations of workers' rights. Authorities did not disclose the identities of the accused.
The proceedings were referred to the Court of First Instance and Investigation of Llíria, in Valencia.
It is estimated that every year nearly seven million counterfeit cigars are sold worldwide, accounting for up to 20% of the market in some European countries.
In November 2025, the Customs of Cuba detected over 26,000 counterfeit Cuban tobacco seals sent from the United States, and in March 2026, an attempt to smuggle more than 370 boxes of counterfeit tobacco from Havana was thwarted.
Spain is the main European market for Habanos S.A. and receives approximately 35% of Cuba's official tobacco exports, making it one of the most sought-after destinations for counterfeit networks.
Filed under: