In Odesa, the organizer of an underground sale of counterfeit alcohol and cigarettes has been sentenced

 An Odesa court has found a 45-year-old man guilty of organizing a distribution channel for illegally manufactured alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. Despite lacking entrepreneur status, regulatory permits, and licenses, the suspect established the sale of excisable products that did not comply with established quality standards.

Detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Odesa region established that to conceal his activities, the man utilized a secure non-residential facility in the Khadzhybeyskyi district of Odesa, where he stored large shipments of illegal goods.

During authorized searches, detectives seized over 31 thousand packs of cigarettes of various trademarks and nearly 9.5 thousand liters of alcohol-containing products in canisters, Tetra Paks, and industrial containers. The total value of the seized property amounts to nearly UAH 3.5 million. All products were placed under arrest to ensure the reimbursement of damages caused to the state.

A conducted expert evaluation confirmed that the seized alcoholic beverages and tobacco products did not comply with the requirements of state quality standards, and their distribution posed a potential threat to consumers.

The court found the man guilty under Part 1 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal acquisition, transportation, and storage for sale of illegally manufactured excisable goods). He was sentenced to a fine of UAH 110 thousand, along with the confiscation and destruction of all illegally manufactured products.

Additionally, during the pre-trial investigation, the suspect voluntarily transferred UAH 100 thousand for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The prosecution in the criminal proceedings was supervised by the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.