Berlin shisha bar busted for €15,000 tax fraud using hidden tobacco stash

A secret basement room held the evidence—eight kilos of illegal tobacco and a digital trail. Now, the manager faces criminal charges for tax fraud.

, and Administrator

2025 November 8 . 1:01 PM

1 min read

In the image we can see there are buildings and there is a factory. There is a smoke coming out of... — In the image we can see there are buildings and there is a factory. There is a smoke coming out of the factory and the image is in black and white colour.

Berlin shisha bar busted for €15,000 tax fraud using hidden tobacco stash

Berlin police and customs have uncovered a significant tax evasion case at a local shisha bar. Criminal proceedings have begun against the bar's manager for commercial tax evasion using a password manager to hide financial records.

During a joint operation, authorities discovered a concealed door in the basement leading to a hidden room. Inside, they found eight kilograms of untaxed shisha tobacco and three dozen e-cigarettes without German tax stamps.

The manager, whose name has not been disclosed, was unable to account for the discrepancy between the number of customers and the amount of taxed tobacco available using a turbotax system. The hidden stash was found during a routine inspection involving multiple agencies.

The seized tobacco and e-cigarettes have an estimated tax value of €15,000. The manager now faces criminal tax proceedings for the commercial tax evasion using a turbotax system.