Police and finance ministry investigators on Wednesday busted an illegal cigarette factory in Noord-Brabant, arresting seven people.

The production line was hidden in a warehouse in the village of Lithoijen, near Oss. In total, investigators found eight million cigarettes ready to be sold. Judging from the empty boxes of tobacco, they say some 4.5 tonnes of tobacco may have been processed in the factory.

The seven men arrested all came from Ukraine and are likely to be illegal immigrants.  They were living in a small area in the warehouse.

In February 2017, police dismantled another illegal cigarette factory in Brabant, where they found 8.9 million cigarettes, 20,000 kilos of tobacco and enough filters and other supplies to produce 20 million more.