Since the beginning of June, detectives of the Territorial Department of the Economic Security Bureau in Odesa region have found four warehouses with illegally manufactured tobacco products and places of their direct sale. 18 searches were conducted and goods worth over UAH 8.5 million were seized.

The investigation identified two Odesa residents who set up a channel for supplying wholesale batches of illegally manufactured tobacco to Odesa. The counterfeit was then sold at retail in points of sale in the city and region. As a result of searches of warehouses adapted for storing wholesale batches, more than 79 thousand packs of cigarettes without excise stamps were found and seized.

As part of the pre-trial investigation, searches were also conducted at the places of direct sale of illegally manufactured tobacco products. The cigarettes without excise tax stamps and the money received from the sale of the products were seized.

The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings on the grounds of a criminal offense stipulated by Part 1 Art. 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal manufacture, storage, sale or transportation for sale of excisable goods) is being conducted by detectives of the Territorial Department of the Economic Security Bureau in Odesa region under the operational support of the Strategic investigations department in Odesa region of the National Police of Ukraine and the procedural guidance of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.