In October and November of last year, the State Police conducted two operations, resulting in one of the largest volumes of counterfeit tobacco products being seized — 50,000 electronic cigarettes were removed from illegal circulation, reports the Degpunktā program (TV3). Now, four young people are awaiting a court decision on possible penalties.
In October of last year, police conducted searches in apartments, warehouses, and vehicles in Riga. There were reasonable suspicions that a significant amount of illegal tobacco products was stored in these locations. The operation was successful — during the searches, the criminal police seized a total of 22,000 electronic cigarettes.
As reported by State Police representative Liga Dziluma, three young men born in 2001, 2004, and 2005 were detained on suspicion of committing this crime. They had not previously come to the attention of law enforcement.
The young men planned to distribute the goods on the black market in Riga, where the total value, according to police estimates, could amount to around 440,000 euros. However, similar to these three illegal "entrepreneurs," a 22-year-old man detained during a similar police operation in November did not make significant profits either.
"On November 11, 2025, the 4th Bureau of the Criminal Police of the Riga Regional Police conducted three searches, during which 25,227 electronic cigarettes, a BMW car, and 7,600 euros were seized," the police added.
During both investigations, the police confiscated a total of about 50,000 electronic smoking devices. The group detained in October and the young man detained in November are not connected to each other — they are unorganized criminal groups. All four will have to wait for court proceedings, during which their further fate will be decided. The maximum possible punishment is up to five years in prison; however, the court will likely take into account that the young men had not been previously convicted.
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