On Friday, Amager Bakke in Copenhagen will host a historic event: the largest destruction of tobacco ever recorded in Denmark. A total of 26.5 million cigarettes and 18 tons of tobacco will be incinerated, an operation orchestrated by the Danish Tax Agency (Skattestyrelsen).

The reason for this massive destruction stems from the uncovering of an illegal cigarette factory revealed in February 2024. The factory, located on a rural property in Aulum, a town situated between Herning and Holstebro, produced and distributed millions of illegal cigarettes.

The case culminated in the sentencing of five men who were arrested on February 8, 2022. In February 2024, the Western Regional Court (Vestre Landsret) delivered its verdict. Two of the men were sentenced to three years in prison and fined 44 million Danish kroner (approximately 6 million USD) each. A third individual received a sentence of five years and six months in prison, along with an additional fine of 179 million kroner (around 25 million USD). The final defendant was sentenced to six years and six months in prison and received a similar fine of 179 million kroner.

The court particularly emphasized the significant amount of evaded taxes and the roles each defendant played in the scheme. The quantity of tobacco being destroyed alone accounts for taxes totaling 80 million kroner. Overall, authorities have estimated the total tax evasion in the Aulum case to reach 200 million kroner, according to the Danish Tax Agency (Skattestyrelsen).