Over 51,000 packs of illegal cigarettes hidden in furniture: smuggling channel intercepted in Vinnytsia region

 A batch of contraband tobacco cargo, disguised as furniture, was discovered during an attempt to cross the customs border of Ukraine through the "Mohyliv-Podilskyi" international automobile checkpoint. Detectives of the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in the Vinnytsia region have served the carrier a notice of suspicion.

According to the documentation, the cargo truck with a semi-trailer was transporting wooden furniture from Ukraine to Moldova. Control weighing recorded a discrepancy between the actual weight and the weight declared in the accompanying documents.

During a full inspection of the vehicle, customs officers discovered a specially constructed concealment space between the double walls of the semi-trailer. Hidden inside were 51,200 packs of cigarettes without excise tax stamps.

The illegal goods, along with the truck and semi-trailer, were seized. The carrier, a citizen of the Republic of Moldova, was served a notice of suspicion for committing a criminal offense under Part 2 of Article 201-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (movement of excisable goods across the customs border of Ukraine with concealment from customs control, committed by a prior conspiracy of a group of persons, on a large scale).

The suspect has been detained. The court imposed a preventive measure in the form of detention with the option of posting bail of 998,000 UAH.

Operational support is provided by personnel from the 24th Border Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Vinnytsia Customs of the State Customs Service and the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Vinnytsia Region. Prosecutorial guidance is provided by the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor's Office.

Pursuant to 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 through legal procedures and established by a court's verdict of conviction.