A man was detained in Bukovina with more than 20,000 packs of counterfeit cigarettes
In the Chernivtsi region, border guards detained a local resident who was transporting 22,500 packs of counterfeit cigarettes without excise tax stamps. The value of the seized shipment exceeds 1.1 million hryvnias.
Operatives from the Chernivtsi Border Guard Detachment received information about the movement of counterfeit excise goods through the region, which were intended for subsequent sale.
According to preliminary data, a local resident born in 1988 was responsible for transporting the illegal goods.
During a routine patrol, border guards stopped a minibus in which they discovered a large shipment of cigarettes lacking the required excise stamps.
In total, law enforcement officers seized 22,500 packs of counterfeit cigarettes.
The suspect was detained and charged under Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
According to law enforcement estimates, the total value of the seized cigarettes exceeds 1.1 million hryvnias.
The shipment was handed over to representatives of the Territorial Directorate of the State Bureau of Economic Security in the Chernivtsi region. In addition to the cigarettes, law enforcement officers also seized the minibus used to transport the illegal goods.
The operation was conducted jointly with representatives of the State Tax Service in the Chernivtsi region under the procedural supervision of the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Law enforcement officers are continuing to identify other possible participants in the illegal scheme and determine the origin of the counterfeit excise goods.
This was reported by the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine—Western Border.
As a reminder, on the afternoon of September 7 in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, a fire broke out at the British American Tobacco factory following a Russian attack. According to employees, the roof of the cigarette production facility caught fire, and all personnel were evacuated to safety before the attack.
