Participants in a money laundering scheme involving hookah tobacco production to be tried in Odesa

 Detectives of the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in the Odesa region have completed an investigation into a money laundering case involving a group of individuals who obtained funds through the illegal production of hookah tobacco.

It was established that the suspects used specialized equipment to manufacture hookah tobacco from raw materials on an industrial scale. The finished products were then packaged without excise tax stamps and sold to stores and entertainment venues across Odesa and the region. Delivery was organized using their own vehicles under the guise of a volunteer organization. Additionally, sales managers distributed the goods via social media throughout Ukraine. The money obtained from these illegal activities was accumulated in a specific bank account and subsequently legalized.

An Odesa resident organized the illegal workshop and involved 17 other people in the criminal activity. The company functioned as a full-cycle production enterprise, from raw material preparation to packaging. A chemical technologist created new hookah tobacco flavors based on market trends and demands.

During the investigation, detectives conducted 24 searches, resulting in the seizure of nearly 57,000 packs of packaged hookah tobacco weighing 21,000 kg, production and packaging equipment, and seven vehicles used by the suspects to deliver the finished products across Odesa. The total value of the seized property exceeds 18 million UAH.

To ensure compensation for the damage caused by the criminal offense, a portion of the seized property has been placed under arrest.

Based on the evidence collected, five suspects were notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 204, Part 3 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 204, and Part 1 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The case has been sent to court with an indictment.

Operational support was provided by the Strategic Investigations Department in the Odesa region of the DSR of the National Police of Ukraine. Procedural guidance was provided by prosecutors of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.

Note that, according 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 has been proven in a lawful manner and established by a court's guilty verdict.