Italian police said they discovered a giant illegal cigarette factory in a 1,600-square-meter underground bunker a few kilometers from Cassino, a town between Rome and Naples.
Authorities had believed the site was a vacant logistics center, and police found the bunker entrance inside an abandoned warehouse, Il Post reported. The report said that officers found machines and materials used to produce cigarettes.
Police estimated production exceeded 7 million cigarettes per day, or about 2.7 billion per year. Il Post said the producers would have had access to state-of-the-art technology.
The site included beds, bathrooms, showers, and a dining room for about 20 workers who reportedly took turns on production shifts.
Only one person has been arrested so far, and police have issued warrants for other suspects.
