Cigarette 'Godmother' busted

24th July 2009

A 45-year-old woman from a small village near Lublin has been identified as the head of a major international organised crime ring which traffics cigarettes to Italy.

According to reports in the Rzeczpospolita daily, the lady, known as the 'Godmother', had a good knowledge of Italy having once worked there as a nurse for elderly people. It is believed that it is due to her time and experience there that she was able to build up contacts and establish her empire.

According to Italian investigators, the ring consisted of approximately 50 members in total, including Poles, Italians, Romanians, Belarusians, Arabs and Ukrainians. The original crackdown operation was initially launched three yea ...