An illegal tobacco workshop was uncovered in the Poltava region (video)
Last November, a large-scale underground operation producing tobacco products and alcohol was uncovered in the Poltava region.
Law enforcement officials determined that a co-owner of a tobacco company had organized the illegal operation by converting a legal factory into an underground workshop. As part of the investigation, 250,000 packs of cigarettes and 6,000 liters of toxic substances were seized. Charges were filed against 11 individuals.
This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
During the searches, 38 tons of raw tobacco, 250,000 packs of cigarettes, over 6,000 liters of alcohol, 190,000 counterfeit excise stamps, and complete production lines were seized. The total value is approximately 50 million hryvnias.
During the pre-trial investigation, a series of expert examinations were conducted, and evidence was gathered.
Experts confirmed that the products were unsafe for use: the tobacco contained foreign impurities and did not meet standards, while the alcohol did not meet the requirements for spirits. In fact, this is not simply a case of counterfeiting, but of products that could have harmed people’s health and even their lives.
The organizer of the scheme turned out to be a co-founder of a legal tobacco company, who had turned his own enterprise in Kremenchuk into an underground workshop.
All products were manufactured under the guise of well-known brands. They were sold through trusted intermediaries: delivered by truck for cash and shipped by mail.
The budget losses from unpaid taxes amount to 16 million hryvnias.
And today, the result of this investigation: the organizer of the scheme and 10 accomplices have been charged with the illegal manufacture and sale of excise goods (Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The issue of imposing preventive measures is currently being decided.
I want to emphasize: this is not just about taxes and the black market. This is the deliberate production of poison under the guise of a legal product.
When such items end up on the market, virtually everyone is at risk.
The investigation is ongoing.
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