Tobacco market shadow economy crackdown: The ESBU in the Volyn exposed a farm that was illegally growing tobacco

 Detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Volyn region exposed a farm that was illegally growing and processing tobacco on an industrial scale.

The investigation established that in the Volodymyr district, the enterprise sowed about 40 hectares of land with tobacco without having the appropriate license. Special workshops were set up for cleaning, sorting, and pressing the leaves. Local residents were involved in the harvesting and processing of the crop, including some who were not officially employed.

Detectives of the ESBU discovered 13 plots sown with tobacco. During the inspection, nearly 9 tons of tobacco and equipment essential to the technological process of manufacturing tobacco raw materials, including drying chambers and an industrial line for supplying tobacco, were seized, along with other items. The estimated value of the seized raw materials is about UAH 5 million. The seized property has been confiscated.

"The fight against shadow schemes in the field of excisable goods is one of the priorities of the ESBU. Illegal production creates a shadow market and causes significant damage to the state. We consistently stop such schemes and work to ensure that excisable products are produced exclusively in a legal manner," said Larysa Revina, the head of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Volyn region.

Pre-trial investigation is ongoing under Part 2 of the Art. 204 (illegal manufacture of excisable goods) and Part 2 of Art. 212 (tax evasion) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Procedural guidance is provided by the prosecutors of the Volyn Regional Prosecutor's Office. Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine Office in the Volyn region, together with employees of the 6th border detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and the Migration Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Volyn region, were involved in the implementation of operational measures.