A full cycle of illegal tobacco production was established in Zakarpattia—the case has been forwarded to court

 In Zakarpattia, four residents will stand trial for organizing a full cycle of illegal tobacco manufacturing—from cultivation to distribution. Detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Zakarpattia region have completed the pre-trial investigation and forwarded the indictments to court.

The investigation established that three of the suspects, lacking the required licenses, cultivated tobacco on land plots with a total area of over 3.5 hectares. Following the harvest, they dried, stored, transported, and sold the tobacco raw material. They received payments into their own bank accounts, thereby laundering the funds obtained from the illegal activity.

Another suspect is the head of an enterprise that held a license for tobacco cultivation. According to the investigation, he used it as a cover for illegal activity, transporting and selling the illegally manufactured tobacco.

During searches at the residences of the suspects, in warehouses, vehicles, and on land plots, detectives seized over 8 tons of tobacco and tobacco raw material with an estimated value of UAH 3.3 million. Mobile phones, rough records, and a vehicle used in the illegal activity were also seized.

The suspects are charged with the illegal manufacture, storage, transportation, and sale of excisable goods, as well as the legalization of property obtained through crime (Part 1 of Article 204 and Part 1 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The indictments have been forwarded to court.

Operational support was provided by the staff of the Strategic Investigations Department in the Zakarpattia region of the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police of Ukraine.

The prosecution was supervised by the prosecutors of the department of the Zakarpattia Regional Prosecutor's Office.

According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court verdict of guilty.