Purchased in wholesale, sold in retail: a shadow tobacco circulation channel was blocked in the Chernivtsi region

 On the territory of the Chernivtsi region, an illegal scheme for the underground processing and sale of tobacco products was exposed. Detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Chernivtsi region conducted searches in the regional center and in one of the nearby villages. At the locations, they seized nearly 800 kg of tobacco with an estimated value of half a million hryvnias, as well as a flavoring concentrate used to process the raw materials.

The investigation established that the suspects purchased tobacco in wholesale batches, then shredded and fermented it for further resale. They sold it in small batches, through trusted persons, by mail, or during personal meetings.

To avoid exposure, the participants of the scheme processed shipments to proxy persons under false names.

The pretrial investigation is ongoing under Part 1 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal acquisition for the purpose of sale or storage for this purpose, as well as the sale of tobacco).

The exposure was carried out jointly with the 31st Border Guard Detachment of the SBGS and under the procedural guidance of the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered 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 verdict.