TobaccoReporter logo

Tag: cigarette factory

  • Major Illegal Cigarette Factory Busted in Bulgaria

    Major Illegal Cigarette Factory Busted in Bulgaria

    Bulgarian authorities dismantled one of the country’s largest illegal cigarette factories in a joint operation by the General Directorate Border Police and the District Prosecutor’s Office – Kyustendil, detaining two men on charges linked to large-scale illicit tobacco production. The April 2 raid at a warehouse in Dupnitsa uncovered over 11 tons of shredded tobacco and 651 master boxes of cigarettes destined for Central and Western Europe. Another 180 master boxes and a truck tied to the network were found in Krivina.

    Officials said the site housed advanced production and packaging lines, living quarters, and surveillance systems, operating in strict secrecy. Prosecutors will seek pretrial detention as investigations continue to identify other members of the network.

  • KT&G Opens Kazakhstan Plant

    KT&G Opens Kazakhstan Plant

    KT&G hosted the completion ceremony of its new Kazakhstan factory yesterday, which will be the production hub for its Eurasian market. The ceremony took place at the 52,000㎡ factory grounds in Almaty. The factory will be an export outpost and core production base that meets the demands of recently growing Europe, CIS, and the Eurasian markets, and is expected to produce 4.5 billion cigarettes a year.

    The construction of the new factory in Kazakhstan is part of KT&G’s CAPEX investment program announced at the “Future Vision Declaration Ceremony” held in January of 2023. KT&G plans to increase the proportion of global revenue to 50% by 2027 through the expansion of direct global operations and other measures, heightening core business competitiveness.

    “With the completion of the new Kazakhstan factory, KT&G has laid the foundation of a Global Manufacturing Network that will tow our global competitiveness,” KT&G CEO Kyung-man Bang said. “KT&G will accept challenges in the future and expand our global direct business to increase profitability as well as corporate value, and share the gains with our stakeholders.”

    After the ceremony, KT&G signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the “Green Globe Project” that aims to assist in local reforestation efforts. Through the project, the company plans to assist recovery from the June 2023 Abai wildfire.