Illicit cigarette and alcohol business uncovered in Odesa region

 A resident of Kodyma, Podilsk district, who organized an illicit cigarette and alcohol trafficking operation, will stand trial.

Detectives from the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in the Odesa region established that the man was not registered as a business entity and did not hold licenses to engage in the wholesale or retail trade of excisable goods.

Nevertheless, since mid-2025, he had been illegally purchasing and subsequently selling illicitly manufactured cigarettes and alcohol products in kiosks throughout the city of Kodyma.

The suspect involved several individuals to sell the products, who were unaware of the illegal nature of his business.

The suspect stored the goods in specially equipped warehouses, from where he supplied them to the points of sale.

During authorized searches, detectives seized over 23,000 packs of illicitly manufactured tobacco products of various brands and 262.5 liters of brandy and vodka in plastic bottles.

To ensure compensation for the damages caused by the criminal offense, the seized property, valued at UAH 8.5 million, has been placed under arrest.

Based on the collected evidence, the man was served a notice of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—illegal purchase, storage, transportation for sale, and sale of illicitly manufactured alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. The indictment has been forwarded to court.

During the pretrial investigation, the suspect transferred UAH 100,000 to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Procedural oversight in the criminal proceedings was conducted by prosecutors from the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.

It should be noted that in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court's guilty verdict.