4 years of imprisonment for illegal cigarette sales and money laundering: Court issues verdict in ESBU case

 Based on materials from detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Odesa region, an Odesa court has found a man guilty of selling illegally manufactured excise goods. The suspect was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment, with the confiscation and destruction of the cigarettes.

During the pre-trial investigation, detectives established that over a period of three years, the 38-year-old Odesa resident purchased large batches of illegally manufactured cigarettes for further resale without the required licenses for wholesale or retail tobacco trade.

The individual involved his brother in the illicit activity. Together, they set up a dedicated storage unit in an industrial zone of the city to keep the excise goods.

The man sold the illegally produced goods via messaging apps. Online orders were sent by mail, and the proceeds from the criminal activity were laundered through accounts in several banks.

During the searches, ESBU detectives seized nearly 79,000 packs of cigarettes without excise tax stamps. In total, the income generated from the sale of illegally manufactured tobacco products exceeded UAH 6 million.

The court found the suspect guilty of committing crimes under Part 2, Article 28 (committing a crime by a group of persons); Part 1, Article 204 (illegal manufacture, storage, sale, or transportation for the purpose of sale of excisable goods); and Part 1, Article 209 (legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The man was fined 10,000 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens, totaling UAH 170,000. He was also sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment. Furthermore, he was deprived of the right to engage in activities related to the circulation of excisable goods. The property was confiscated, and the illegally manufactured products are subject to destruction.

The pre-trial investigation and operational support were carried out by detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Odesa region. Procedural management was provided by prosecutors of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.