Authorities in Kharkiv have dismantled illegal tobacco trafficking rings with a turnover of tens of millions of hryvnias
In Kharkiv, law enforcement officials shut down two illegal tobacco businesses, conducting more than 50 searches in the process; the total value of the seized property exceeds 37 million hryvnias.
This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
According to the investigation, in the first case, two local residents organized an underground tobacco “factory” where cigarette production was carried out without any quality control standards or sanitary norms. They found equipment and instructions online, after which they began manufacturing products under the guise of well-known brands.
The workshops operated in two shifts, and the finished products were sold throughout Ukraine via postal services. During the searches, over 120,000 packs of cigarettes, three production lines, approximately 1.2 million cigarette tubes, nearly 400 kg of tobacco, printed materials, computer equipment, and $26,000 were seized. The total value of this case is estimated at approximately 22 million UAH, and monthly profits could have reached 12 million UAH.
The second case involved a network for the illegal distribution of e-cigarettes and e-liquids. According to the investigation, a Kharkiv resident organized the sale of products through retail outlets, social media, and messaging apps. As part of this case, approximately 35,000 units of product with a total value of nearly 15 million UAH were seized.
Currently, both schemes have been dismantled, and three individuals have been notified of their status as suspects. Law enforcement officials have ordered expert examinations and are identifying all those involved, as well as the channels for supplying raw materials and distributing the illegal products.
Earlier, in the Kyiv region, a scheme involving the illegal appropriation of 6.7 hectares of recreational land was uncovered.
In the Mykolaiv region, law enforcement uncovered a scheme in which counterfeit foreign documents were produced for Ukrainian citizens subject to military service so they could avoid military registration checks and move freely throughout the country.
