Over 3,000 bottles of surrogate alcohol: The ESBU has stopped the sale of dangerous spirits in Bukovyna

 Detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Chernivtsi region have shut down a distribution point for counterfeit alcohol in the city of Storozhynets.

The investigation established that a local entrepreneur, the owner of a food wholesaler, was selling alcohol of unknown origin alongside legal goods. Despite holding a license, he sold surrogate and falsified products: alcohol-containing mixtures in "bag-in-box" packaging without excise stamps, as well as counterfeits of well-known brands featuring so-called "souvenir" excise stamps.

The man was unable to explain the origin of the goods and had no documentation for them. According to his statement, he purchased a portion of the products at the Kalynivskyi market in Chernivtsi.

During the searches, ESBU detectives seized over 3,200 bottles of falsified alcohol, as well as 30 "bag-in-box" containers with a capacity of 10 liters each, filled with alcohol-containing mixtures of unknown origin.

Currently, the seized alcohol has been sent for forensic examination.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing under Part 1 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal acquisition, storage with the intent to sell, and sale of illegally manufactured alcoholic beverages).

Operational support is provided by detectives for the strategic protection of the economy of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Chernivtsi region.

Procedural oversight is carried out by the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office.