The detectives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine have summed up the results of their work for 6 months of 2023 to counter the illegal circulation of excisable goods, namely alcoholic beverages, and alcohol.

Since the beginning of the year, the ESBU employees has registered 59 criminal proceedings for the illegal production of alcoholic beverages and alcohol-containing liquids.

As a result of searches and inspections, the following items were seized from illicit trafficking:

5 alcoholic beverage production lines;

375 tonnes of alcohol-containing liquids, including various types of alcohol-containing products, including alcohol, alcoholic beverages, etc.

over 150 thousand excise tax stamps with signs of counterfeiting.

For comparison, in the whole of 2022, about 109 tonnes of alcohol-containing products and 2 bottling lines for alcoholic beverages were seized.

The total estimated value of the inventory related to the illicit trafficking of alcoholic beverages and alcohol seized in the first half of 2023 is over UAH 650 million.

Based on the results of pre-trial investigations in criminal proceedings, 17 people have already been charged, 9 proceedings have been referred to court and 8 verdicts have been delivered.

Underground production was discovered on the territory of Chernihiv, Odesa, Poltava, Volyn and Vinnitsa regions.

Thus, in Dnipropetrovs'k region, the ESBU detectives exposed individuals who organised the illegal production of a liquid with a characteristic smell of alcohol on an industrial scale. Approximately 15-20 tonnes of alcohol were produced daily, which was pumped through an underground pipeline of about 1 km to an alcohol storage facility. About 107 tonnes of liquid with a characteristic alcohol smell were seized. The estimated value of the seized liquid is over UAH 10 million.

The amount of losses from non-payment of excise tax and VAT is about UAH 4 billion.

In Kyiv region, the ESBU employees conducted searches in the warehouse, production, and administrative premises of the sugar factory. About 170 tonnes of anhydrous alcohol was found and seized, which was sold under the guise of a gasoline and bioethanol component. The estimated value of the alcohol is over UAH 67.5 million.

At a factory in Kirovohrad region, detectives seized more than 100,000 bottles of alcoholic beverages of various trademarks, more than 25,000 litres of liquid with a characteristic smell of alcohol, and 126,000 counterfeit excise stamps. The estimated value of the seized goods is about UAH 20 million. The mentioned alcoholic beverages were produced from unaccounted alcohol. The factory was not documented as a working one, but in fact, illegal large-scale production of excisable products was organised.

In two cases, the ESBU detectives recorded the absence of a permanent employee of the controlling authority at the tax post.

In order to counteract the illegal distribution of alcoholic beverages and alcohol, the ESBU employees sent letters of recommendation to the National Centre for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection to block 75 illegal websites selling illegally produced products.

To intensify the work on combating the illegal import, production and trade of tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, and fuel, the ESBU Main Detective Division has set up relevant working groups in certain fields. Since the beginning of the year, the ESBU has seized equipment and products worth UAH 750 million as a result of combating illicit tobacco trafficking.