Andorra Court Tries 5 in Operació Lliri Smuggling and Money Laundering Case
The trial in Andorra's Criminal Court prosecutes a Lauredià transport group's smuggling network using hidden vehicle compartments for tobacco and laundering profits through complex finances.
Key Points
- Prosecutors seek 6.5 years prison, €2.6M fine, €1.9M asset forfeiture for main suspect.
- Charges include smuggling tobacco via modified vehicles, money laundering, criminal association.
- Case stems from 2017 Spanish probe leading to 2018 arrests in Andorra.
- Driver defendant claims coercion by father, admits deliveries but denies wider role.
The Criminal Court in Andorra began hearing the Operació Lliri case on Tuesday, prosecuting five individuals accused of running a smuggling and money laundering network linked to a Lauredià-based business group involved in passenger transport and commerce.
Prosecutors are seeking six years and six months in prison for the main suspect, along with a €2.6 million fine and the forfeiture of at least €1.9 million in assets, bringing the total financial claim to more than €4.5 million. He faces charges of continued smuggling, habitual money laundering, criminal association, vehicle modifications to create hidden compartments for contraband, and repeated computer data tampering.
The remaining four defendants face mainly suspended sentences and fines, avoiding prison if convicted. One will be tried in absentia after going missing in 2018.
The alleged activities date back to 2017, stemming from a Spanish police operation that prompted months of surveillance in Andorra. Authorities uncovered an organised structure using vehicles with double floors to transport tobacco, border surveillance, and financial movements to hide profits. Arrests followed in February 2018.
During Tuesday's opening statements, a 29-year-old defendant described as a driver distanced himself from voluntary involvement. He claimed he acted under threats and coercion from his father, the alleged ringleader, at a time when he was unemployed and financially dependent. The man said he collected tobacco boxes from shops and delivered them to garages in Santa Coloma and Escaldes, fearing eviction or physical abuse if he refused.
He admitted using his own car or his father's for the trips and making related phone calls but denied any role in buying, selling, or knowing the tobacco's final recipients. He now works steadily, has cut ties with his father, and says he still faces economic fallout from the case.
The trial, set to continue through Thursday, will feature statements from the other defendants, witnesses, and documentary evidence.
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