Spanish authorities discovered three illegal tobacco factories earlier this year, with a total value of seized tobacco and illicit cigarettes amounting to nearly €40m ($44m). One factory in Alfaro, in the north of Spain, reportedly had Ukrainian workers – some of which were war refugees – who were working without contracts and were not paid fairly. Recent years have seen an increase in crime groups setting up illegal tobacco facilities within Western Europe for their proximity to more expensive markets in comparison to counterfeit products from outside the EU. A global decline in smoking has prompted the world’s largest tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco (BAT), to look into alternative products, but they have also been fighting against illegal counterfeit sales of their own brands. In 2021, a record number of illicit cigarette seizures were made across the EU with reports the year could also show a record for illegal cigarette factory shutdowns.