Regional court - Verdict expected in trial over 200 tons of shisha tobacco
The verdict in the trial over 200 tons of untaxed shisha tobacco is to be announced this Monday. The Düsseldorf district court has been trying the five defendants, who are attributed to the Al-Z. clan, for more than a year. The 38 to 51-year-old men from Solingen are accused of gang and commercial tax evasion and tax theft.
They are alleged to have illegally produced untaxed hookah tobacco in professionally equipped factories in Solingen and Langenfeld and sold it under counterfeit brand names throughout Germany and in other European countries. The indictment speaks of a tax loss of over four million euros.
During a raid in July 2018, 2.3 tons of water pipe tobacco, 550 kilograms of raw tobacco, machines, five high-quality cars and cash were seized. Officers from the Essen customs investigation office searched 29 properties in Solingen, Essen, Langenfeld and Heilbronn during the operation.
The public prosecutor's office has demanded prison sentences of between two years and three months and five years. The defense lawyers for the two alleged main perpetrators, aged 46 and 51, have demanded suspended or moderate prison sentences for their clients. The defense attorneys for the three co-defendants have requested acquittals.
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- The trial for tax evasion related to 200 tons of shisha tobacco in North Rhine-Westphalia's Solingen is being handled by the Düsseldorf Regional Court.
- The alleged leaders of the Al-Z. clan, facing charges of commercial tax evasion, tax theft, and gang activities, have their homes in Solingen, a long-standing tobacco production area.
- If found guilty, the defendants could face prison sentences ranging from two years and three months to five years, as per the Public Prosecutor's Office's demands, in the regional court processes in Düsseldorf.
- Authorities seized illegal tobacco production facilities, cars, and cash during raids in Solingen, Essen, Langenfeld, and Heilbronn, furthering their investigation into Tobacco smuggling and financial criminality in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Source: www.stern.de
