Detectives of the Territorial Department of the Economic Security Bureau in Lviv region exposed a large-scale scheme of illegal production and sale of e-cigarettes of well-known brands, cartridges and capsules for electronic devices, hookah tobacco. The total value of the confiscated property is over UAH 21 million.

The investigation identified a group of people who organized unlicensed production of tobacco-containing products for electric heating in Lviv. In the clandestine workshop the offenders used special equipment to produce e-cigarettes, hookah tobacco and mixed liquids for electronic devices. In addition some of the goods and raw materials were illegally imported into the territory of Ukraine.

Detectives of the ESBU together with the SSU operatives in Lviv region, conducted searches at the residences of the persons involved in the illegal scheme and at the places of clandestine production and sale of counterfeit goods. More than 90 thousand e-cigarettes without excise stamps and with excise stamps of the russian federation were seized.

The participants of the scheme labeled their own products and illegally imported e-cigarettes with fake excise stamps and sold them through a network of stores. The estimated daily income from illegal activities per outlet amounted to about UAH 100 thousand. The equipment used to manufacture the products, computer equipment, draft accounting records, food flavors and almost UAH 5 million in cash were also seized.

The pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings on the grounds of a criminal offense provided for in Part 1 of Art. 199 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (production, storage, acquisition, transportation, forwarding, import into Ukraine for the purpose of use in the sale of goods, sale, as well as sale of illegally manufactured, obtained or forged excise tax stamps) and Part 1 of Art. 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal manufacture, storage, sale or transportation for the purpose of sale of excise goods) is carried out by detectives of the Territorial Department ESBU in Lviv region under the procedural guidance of the Lviv regional prosecutor's office.