SOFIA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian authorities, working in collaboration with British partners, have dismantled the largest illegal cigarette manufacturing facility ever uncovered in the country, the Prosecutor's Office announced on Wednesday.
Cigarettes and approximately 13.8 tons of tobacco were found at the facility, which was located near the town of Batanovtsi, about 37 km west of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, the prosecutors said in a press release. Authorities also seized a truck loaded with more than 10 million cigarettes produced at the illegal factory.
The excise duty owed on the seized illegal excise goods -- cigarettes and tobacco -- exceeded 2.8 million euros (3.3 million U.S. dollars), according to the press release.
Authorities discovered the factory less than three weeks after the start of production, and the cigarettes were primarily intended for export, it added.
The factory had a fully integrated production cycle, with machines for tobacco processing, cigarette production and packaging, the press release said, adding that it also included a warehouse, sleeping quarters for about 20 people, and a kitchen. The workers were foreign nationals.
Several individuals have been identified in connection with the factory's illegal activities, and an investigation is ongoing. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollar) ■