Underground factory producing 50,000 cigarette packs per day: ESBU notified seven group members of suspicion in the Cherkasy region

 In the Cherkasy region, seven members of a group that set up an illegal, industrial-scale cigarette manufacturing operation have been served notices of suspicion. The capacity of the clandestine factory was approximately 50,000 packs per day. The estimated value of the seized equipment, tobacco products, and other property is around 30 million UAH.

The illegal activity was uncovered by detectives from the Main Detective Unit of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine.

The investigation established that seven members of the group, including residents of the Cherkasy, Odesa, and Dnipro regions, organized the manufacturing of cigarettes under the trademarks of well-known Ukrainian and European brands for subsequent sale.

The clandestine factory was set up in a warehouse facility on the outskirts of Uman. There, the suspects installed industrial equipment and established a full-cycle production line for tobacco products. The premises were supplied with raw materials, cigarette paper, and packaging materials. To ensure the uninterrupted operation of the production line, backup power sources were utilized.

During the searches, law enforcement officers seized a full-cycle cigarette production line, over 295,000 packs of cigarettes of various brands, 95 bags of fermented tobacco, 268 boxes of packaging materials, and 138 rolls of cigarette paper.

In addition, over 36,000 USD, a cargo truck, mobile phones, and ledger records ("rough records") were seized. The total estimated value of the seized property is approximately 30 million UAH.

Currently, the seven members of the group have been served notices of suspicion for the illegal manufacturing and possession of tobacco products for sale (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 204; Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Operational support was provided by officers of the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police of Ukraine, while prosecutors from the Prosecutor General's Office provided prosecutorial guidance.

Pursuant 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 is proven through legal procedures and established by a court's verdict of conviction.