The ESBU in the Kyiv region eliminated a large-scale underground production of food products under the brands of well-known global trademarks

 Detectives from the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in the Kyiv region uncovered a group of individuals who organized a full cycle of manufacturing and selling falsified food products under the guise of goods from well-known brands.

The investigation established that the counterfeit goods were manufactured in unsanitary conditions in underground workshops, where the involved persons packaged the products, produced packaging, and applied labeling, completely imitating the brands H.J. Bruggen KG, "Aquamarine," "Babusyn Produkt" (Grandmother's Product), "Veres," "Bonduelle," and others. The counterfeit goods were then distributed to retail outlets and markets, where they were sold as original products.

The ESBU detectives documented the communication among the scheme participants, the processes of raw material procurement, production, and sale of the counterfeits. Following this, large-scale searches were conducted, during which almost 24 tons of H.J. Bruggen KG products were seized, along with over 13.6 thousand units of "Bonduelle" products, 100 thousand units of "Babusyn Produkt," 40 thousand units of "Aquamarine," over 5 thousand units of "Veres," and over 45 thousand units of other well-known brands.

In addition to the counterfeit goods, equipment for manufacturing and packaging, polygraphy, raw materials, draft records, financial documents, computer equipment, mobile phones, and vehicles involved in the scheme were seized.

Trademark representatives involved in the investigative actions confirmed that the seized products were counterfeit and were using their trademarks.

The estimated value of the seized commodity and material assets exceeds 20 million UAH.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing in the criminal proceedings under the signs of a criminal offense stipulated by Part 3 of the Article 229 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal use of a mark for goods and services, which caused material damage on a particularly large scale). The full circle of individuals involved in the illegal activity is being established.

Operational support was carried out by detectives of the strategic protection of the economy of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Kyiv region. Procedural guidance is provided by the prosecutors of the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.