The capital's law enforcement officers exposed and stopped the group's activities. According to the investigation, the scheme was organized by a Kyiv resident who, together with accomplices, sold illegally manufactured cigarettes.
This was reported by the press service of the Bureau of Economic Security.
The investigation established that a Kyiv resident created several Telegram channels where he placed ads for the sale of cigarettes at prices significantly lower than at legal points of sale.
“The low cost was explained by the fact that the products were manufactured illegally and sold without paying taxes. After receiving orders from buyers, the defendants processed the applications, formed parcels, and sent them to various regions of Ukraine through a branch of one of the well-known postal companies,” the report says.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers searched a car located near the postal company branch, as well as a warehouse where the products were stored. BEB detectives seized over 200 parcels containing over 12,000 packs of cigarettes of illegal origin. The estimated value of the products is over UAH 1.2 million.
A pre-trial investigation is currently underway under Part 1 of Article 204 and Part 2 of Article 199. Illegal manufacture and sale of excisable goods, as well as manufacture or sale committed by a group of persons or on a large scale of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The sanctions of the articles provide for up to ten years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. The investigation establishes the identities of citizens involved in the organization and operation of the scheme of illegal circulation of tobacco products.
It was previously reported that BEB detectives exposed 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.
Also in the Brovary district, an underground cigarette manufacturing workshop was uncovered. It was set up in one of the private houses. There, industrial lines for the production and packaging of cigarettes were installed, 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.