An illegal tobacco production operation has been uncovered in Odesa and the Ternopil region; the organisers have been charged
According to the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine, members of the group organised the commercial cultivation of tobacco in the Ternopil region. They also dried and processed the raw material there in specially equipped greenhouses.
After harvesting, the tobacco was transported to Odesa for storage and further processing. Two warehouses operated in the city, equipped with machinery for the manufacture of tobacco products, scales, cigarette tubes, flavourings, packaging materials and other supplies.
According to the investigation, the finished products were sold throughout Ukraine via retail outlets and specialist websites.
In December last year, operatives from the Strategic Investigations Department in the Odesa region, together with detectives from the regional office of the State Bureau of Investigation in the Odesa region, carried out 17 searches.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized over 9.1 tonnes of tobacco, equipment for the manufacture and packaging of tobacco products, cigarettes without excise tax stamps, devices for rolling cigarettes, 223,000 cigarette tubes, cash, vehicles, rough notes and delivery notes for the dispatch and receipt of goods.
The total value of the seized tobacco was estimated at nearly 13 million hryvnias.
The organisers and five other members of the inter-regional group have now been served with notices of suspicion under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, concerning the illegal manufacture, storage or sale of excise goods.
The Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office is overseeing the proceedings in the case. Officers from the 26th Border Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service were also involved in the operation.
The police reiterated that, in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.
