Illegal factories produce poisonous tobacco in Oran

Security forces of the province of Oran, western Algeria, have dismantled a network specialized in the production and distribution of counterfeited tobacco in the western parts of the country.

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• The operation wound up with the seizure of 200 quintals of “poisonous tobacco” with a value estimated at more than 1 billion Algerian Dinars in addition to staggering quantities of paper packs passed illegally from Italy and Spain thorough the Algerian- Moroccan borders.
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• The gendarmerie squad of the province of Oran, has in this respect, arrested 34 women and 12 men involved in this large –scale trafficking and discovered a secret factory located downtown nearby the Sheraton hotel.
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• The security elements have seized 60 quintals of counterfeited tobacco with a value of more than 300 million Algerian Dinars, packets brought from Italy and Spain and 11 machines used for packaging.
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• A similar operation was carried out in the beginning of this month in the area called Hassi ben Akba, Arzew nearby the province of Oran, enabled the security forces to arrest 5 individuals and the seizure of  140 quintals of counterfeited tobacco putting the gross total of seized tobacco to 200 quintals.
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• Sources have revealed that the factories owners started their illegal business since more than two years and employed women illegally.
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