Detectives of the Territorial Department of the Economic Security Bureau in Lviv region served four members of an organized group a notice of suspicion of illegal manufacture, storage and sale of excisable goods.

The investigation established that the director of a limited liability company, in collusion with three employees of another company, organized the unlicensed production, storage and sale of tobacco products. In a clandestine workshop, using special equipment, the individuals mixed e-cigarette liquids and manufactured hookah tobacco on their own. They imported some of the parts and raw materials from abroad illegally. The members of the organized group sold counterfeit tobacco mixtures and e-liquids with fake excise tax stamps in wholesale and retail through a network of individual entrepreneurs.

The detectives conducted 12 searches: they seized more than 24 thousand units of goods without excise stamps, equipment, office equipment with data storage devices, and draft accounting documents. The value of the seized products is over UAH 6 million.

The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings on the grounds of criminal offenses stipulated by Part 3 Art. 28, Part 1 and Part 2 Art. 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal manufacture, storage with intent to sell excisable goods committed by a group of persons) is being conducted by detectives of the Territorial Department of the Economic Security Bureau in Lviv region under the procedural supervision of prosecutors of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office and operational support of the SSU Office in Lviv region.