Detectives of the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) have uncovered a group in the Kyiv region. Its members are suspected of illegally selling tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and liquids for smoking. During the searches, law enforcement officers seized excisable goods worth over UAH 3 million.
This was reported by the BEB press service.
The investigation established that the defendants arranged for the supply of counterfeit products to the region through retail outlets, in particular in Bila Tserkva. The goods were sold only for cash and sales were not recorded in accounting and tax records. This scheme allowed them to avoid paying excise tax and receive unaccounted profits.
During the searches, law enforcement officers found over 12,000 components for liquids, over 700 POD systems, almost 3,000 cartridges with liquid for electronic cigarettes, as well as tobacco for hookah. They also seized mobile and POS terminals, draft records, and computer equipment.
The BEB noted that the investigation is ongoing under Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal storage, sale or transportation for the purpose of sale of excisable goods). Currently, the full range of citizens involved in illegal activities, as well as the origin of counterfeit products, is being established.
It was previously reported that an underground cigarette manufacturing workshop was uncovered in the Brovary district. It was set up in one of the private houses. Industrial lines for the production and packaging of cigarettes were installed there, which produced over 4 thousand packs per day. The finished products (without excise tax stamps) were sold under the guise of cigarettes of well-known brands, mainly in the Kyiv region, as well as through postal services across Ukraine.
A large-scale scheme for the illegal production of liquids for electronic cigarettes was also exposed in the Kyiv region. The production was set up on an industrial scale, and the underground activity also covered Vinnytsia, Zakarpattia and Lviv regions. Counterfeit products were sold under the guise of well-known brands.