Fraudsters from Odesa cheated Apple out of almost 7 million

Three residents of Odesa will stand trial for selling counterfeits of a well-known American brand.

This was reported by the Bureau of Economic Security.

According to detectives, the suspects organized the sale of counterfeit products - headphones and smartwatches - through online stores and messengers. Before that, the products were repackaged in boxes to look like the original.

In the course of the investigation, detectives conducted 14 searches, during which they seized two cars, equipment, accessories, and significant amounts of cash - over UAH 160 thousand and USD 20 thousand.

The BES also calculated the damage caused to the international American corporation, which amounted to UAH 6.5 million.

In total, the seized property was valued at over UAH 30 million. The property was seized.

The members of the group were notified of suspicion of illegal use of trademarks. The men face up to UAH 255,000 in fines and deprivation of the right to engage in certain activities for up to three years.

They were also forced to compensate the American company for the losses.

Meanwhile, another Odesa resident set up an underground coffee production facility. He sold the products under the guise of global brands in markets, on the Internet and in local kiosks.

The law enforcement also exposed three residents of Odesa region who set up an illegal business selling alcoholic beverages. During the searches, they seized property worth almost two million hryvnias.

Earlier, the BES detectives exposed a resident of Odesa who stored counterfeit cigarettes of well-known brands in a warehouse. The total value of the goods is almost UAH 6 million.

In addition, the SBU detectives uncovered a large-scale underground production of footwear and clothing of well-known international brands.

Ірина Глухова