An illegal tobacco factory was uncovered in Kremenchuk: 9 suspects will stand trial
In Kremenchuk, law enforcement officials uncovered an illegal tobacco manufacturing operation. During the searches, authorities seized two industrial production lines, approximately 38 metric tons of raw tobacco, and over 240,000 packs of counterfeit cigarettes. The estimated value of the seized property is approximately 50 million hryvnias.
Detectives from the Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigation in Chernivtsi Oblast have completed the pretrial investigation into a criminal case involving a group of individuals engaged in the illegal production and sale of excise goods. An indictment against nine suspects has already been submitted to the court.
According to the investigation, the participants in the scheme converted an industrial facility in Kremenchuk into an illegal tobacco factory. Raw materials were supplied from Bukovina, and a full production cycle was organized on site—from tobacco processing to cigarette packaging. The finished products were sold throughout Ukraine under various brand names.
In total, 12 individuals have been notified of the charges against them. For 9 of them, the pretrial investigation has been completed, and the case has been referred to court. The case files regarding the remaining 3 suspects have been separated into a separate proceeding due to them being placed on the wanted list.
The suspects’ actions have been classified under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
This was reported by the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine.
The Economic Security Bureau dismantled a network of underground gambling halls in Bila Tserkva.
Police conducted searches at the Lviv Agrarian University in Dublyany.
Previously, questions arose regarding a search conducted by the Economic Security Bureau in Odesa last week. According to Oleg Shram, a representative of the National Bar Association of Ukraine, EBS detectives, along with about 50 border guards armed “to the teeth,” violated a number of laws during the search.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has denied reports of alleged searches at the home of the former head of the Defense Procurement Agency. A video circulating online as evidence of the investigative actions turned out to be fake.
