Sixth underground operation producing counterfeit Coca-Cola uncovered in Russia
In Russia, law enforcement officials have shut down yet another illegal operation producing counterfeit Coca-Cola. This time, the facility was discovered in the Smolensk region, where approximately 38,000 bottles of the counterfeit beverage were seized.
This was reported by Irina Volk, a representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
According to the investigation, the illegal production was organized by the former director of a company in the city of Rudnya. An automated bottling line was operating on the factory premises, and the estimated losses from the operation amount to about 6 million rubles.
About 20 workers without medical certificates were involved in the production. They worked in two shifts under unsanitary conditions.
The bottles were manufactured directly at the plant, while the caps and labels were supplied from other regions. The finished products were shipped to Moscow.
The labels indicated that the beverage was allegedly produced in Georgia, Azerbaijan, or Belarus.
During the searches, law enforcement officers seized not only the finished products but also rolls of labels, caps, molds, and documentation.
This is at least the sixth case of an underground counterfeit Coca-Cola production operation being uncovered in Russia since The Coca-Cola Company left the Russian market in 2022.
In particular, in 2024, a warehouse containing 90 tons of counterfeit beverage was discovered in the Krasnodar Krai. That same year, a facility bottling “imported” soda was shut down in Khimki.
In 2023, similar operations were uncovered in Balashikha, Mytishchi, and Nalchik.
In all cases, law enforcement officials seized tens of thousands of bottles of counterfeit products and equipment used to manufacture them.
Experts note that following the exit of international brands from the Russian market, demand for familiar beverages remains high, which fuels the growth of the black market.
Earlier it was reported that Coca-Cola, which left the Russian market after the start of the war, is once again registering its trademarks in the Russian Federation.
