Detectives of the Territorial Department of the Economic Security Bureau in Chernivtsi region announced suspicion of a truck driver who tried to illegally transport tobacco products to Romania.

The suspect was placed under house arrest.

The investigation established that the goods were hidden in a fuel tank. Trucks with cigarettes passed the customs checkpoint as empty and returned to Ukraine with fuel.

During the inspection of the scene the detectives of the Territorial Department found cardboard boxes with 65,000 packs of cigarettes without excise tax stamps hidden in the tanker truck. Their estimated cost is more than UAH 4.5 million.

It was established that the supplier of cigarettes was one of the capital's enterprises. Also according to the operative information of the employees of the SBI law enforcement officers may appear in the scheme.

The pre-trial investigation under Part 2 of Art. 201-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (movement across the customs border of Ukraine outside of customs control or with concealment from customs control of excise goods in large quantities) continues.

Operative escort was carried out by employees of the operative department located in Chernivtsi of the Territorial Department of the ESBU located in Khmelnytskyi and operative-investigative unit 31 of the border detachment of the State Border Service of Ukraine.

Prosecutors of the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office are in charge of the proceedings.