Counterfeit household chemicals sold as originals: ESBU shuts down illegal sales in Volyn

 Counterfeit laundry detergents, gels, capsules, and other household chemicals with signs of forgery were sold as authentic products. Detectives of the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in the Volyn region have halted the illegal activity and seized over 500 individual product items.

According to the investigation, a resident of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi district, registered as an individual entrepreneur, organized the procurement, delivery, and storage of counterfeit household chemicals. She affixed labels featuring the names and logos of well-known trademarks onto the packaging and distributed the products under the guise of original merchandise. The goods were sold directly in a physical store as well as through a website. Orders placed online were shipped to customers via postal delivery services.

During the search, over 500 packages and containers of laundry detergents, gels, washing capsules, fabric softeners, dishwashing liquids, and cleaning and disinfecting agents were seized. Additionally, 87 rolls of labels featuring the branding of various well-known trademarks were discovered.

The seized property has been placed under asset forfeiture. The exact financial damage caused to the trademark owner is currently being determined.

The pre-trial investigation under Part 3 of Article 229 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal use of a trademark for goods and services, which caused material damage on an especially large scale) is ongoing. Law enforcement is establishing the full circle of individuals involved in the offense.

Operational support is being provided by officers from the Department for Countering Cybercrimes in the Volyn Region of the Cyber Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine. Procedural oversight is conducted by the Volyn Regional Prosecutor's Office.