Italian customs police have uncovered the country’s largest illegal cigarette factory, hidden inside a vast underground bunker near Cassino, southeast of Rome.
According to a statement released Saturday, the secret facility — spanning 1,600 square meters — churned out an estimated seven million counterfeit cigarettes daily, equivalent to 2.7 billion annually.
Access to the bunker was ingeniously concealed: a hydraulic system, operated by switches disguised in a cardboard box inside an almost empty warehouse, opened the way underground.
Investigators described the site as a fully-fledged industrial complex, equipped with advanced tobacco-processing machinery, counterfeit packaging lines, and even residential amenities including 18 beds, bathrooms, showers, a dining hall, and a repair workshop.
Authorities estimate the operation generated over €900 million ($1.05 billion) annually, evading around €600 million in taxes.
Several suspects have been linked to the enterprise, with one already in custody as investigations continue.
