Detectives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine exposed the underground industrial production of tobacco products.

The investigation established four Ukrainian citizens who organized the illegal production of cigarettes without excise tax stamps in the city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa region. The implementation of counterfeiting took place in the shadow sector which led to particularly large excise tax evasion. In addition, finished products were also smuggled out to EU countries.

Detectives of the ESBU together with employees of other law enforcement agencies, conducted searches in warehouses where a full cycle for the production of cigarettes without a filter was established.

As a result of the searches a cigarette production line, a machine for packing tobacco products into packs other equipment necessary for illegal activities, 2.2 tons of tobacco and almost 400,000 packs of finished tobacco products without excise tax stamps were discovered and seized. Currently the value of excise goods and equipment is being assessed and the damages caused to the state are being calculated.

Investigative actions are ongoing the full range of persons involved in illegal activities is being established. It is planned to impose an arrest on the seized goods and material values and to announce to the detainees that they are suspected of having committed a crime.

The pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings on the grounds of a criminal offense provided for in Part 2 of Art. 204 (illegal manufacture, storage, sale or transportation for the purpose of sale of excise goods), Part 3 of Art. 28 (commitment of a criminal offense by a group of persons, according to a prior conspiracy) Part 3 of Art. 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (tax evasion, fees) are carried out by detectives of the ESBU in cooperation with operatives of the Chernivtsi border detachment of the State Border Service of Ukraine, operational support of employees of the Security Service of Ukraine and procedural management of prosecutors of the Prosecutor General's Office. Force support for investigative actions was provided by border guards of the operational response unit of the DOZOR.

We will remind that recently the detectives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine exposed officials of one of the enterprises that planned to illegally bring a line for the manufacture of cigarettes to the territory of Ukraine. The cost of the equipment is UAH 10 million.