Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine eliminated a large-scale scheme of underground production and smuggling of tobacco products to the European Union.

The total value of the seized goods is more than 70 million hryvnias.

This was reported by the SBU press service. 

A criminal group in the Mykolaiv and Transcarpathian regions illegally produced wholesale batches of tobacco products and passed them off as foreign brands.

They set up underground workshops in warehouses in the countryside.

Special polygraphic equipment was also installed to apply fake "trademarks".

Criminals made up to 1 million cigarettes every day.

The SBU has exposed a large-scale illegal tobacco sales scheme in the EU

"According to the investigation, raw materials for the production of cigarettes were purchased from local farmers and for the purpose of the conspiracy, they were imported in bags from compound feed for animals. The finished products were sold to various regions of Ukraine, and they also planned to smuggle them to the European Union," the report says. 

The SBU has exposed a large-scale illegal tobacco sales scheme in the EU

Law enforcement officers opened criminal proceedings under three articles: 

  •  Part 2 of Art.

    204 and Part 3 of Art.

    28 (illegal manufacture, storage, sale or transportation for the purpose of sale of excisable goods, committed by a group of persons under a prior conspiracy);

  • Part 3 of Art.

    212 (evasion of payment of taxes, fees (mandatory payments)).

Earlier we reported that a Ukrainian was detained in Poland, who was carrying unusual contraband.

He wanted to sell five falcons that he caught and tried to transport abroad for hundreds of thousands of zlotys. 

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