3 years in prison: ESBU case leads to sentencing of organized crime member for illegal fuel production

 Based on evidence collected by detectives of the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in the Chernivtsi region, a court has convicted a member of an organized criminal group involved in the illegal production and sale of counterfeit fuel across Chernivtsi and neighboring regions.

The defendant was sentenced to three years of imprisonment, with the confiscation and destruction of the illegally produced gasoline, as well as the manufacturing equipment and raw materials used in its production.

By court order, vehicles, tankers, and storage tanks used for the production, storage, and transportation of falsified petroleum products have been confiscated as state revenue.

As a reminder, detectives from the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Chernivtsi region have exposed a seven-member organized criminal group that, between December 2023 and November 2024, established an illegal network for the production and sale of fuel through a series of gas stations. During this period, the perpetrators manufactured and sold over 300,000 liters of counterfeit fuel with a total value exceeding 17 million UAH.

The convict was responsible for overseeing the production and distribution process of the illegally manufactured petroleum products within the criminal group. He had been hiding abroad and was on the wanted list for a long time. Following his return to Ukraine, the criminal proceedings were submitted to the court.

Operational support was provided by the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police of Ukraine. The Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office provided procedural oversight in the criminal proceedings.