Illegal sale of excisable goods at markets in Odesa is stopped

The resident of Odesa illegally stored and sold excisable goods for a long time. During the searches, goods worth almost UAH 2 million were seized from him.

This was reported by the press service of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine.

According to detectives, the resident of Odesa illegally bought a batch of cigarettes without excise tax stamps and rented a warehouse to store the goods. He sold counterfeit cigarettes on classifieds websites and at retail in local markets of Odesa.

As a result of the searches, BES officers seized 20 thousand packs of cigarettes. The estimated value of the seized goods is UAH 1.6 million.

The man was served a notice of suspicion under Part 1 Art. 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Illegal manufacture, storage, sale or transportation with intent to sell excisable goods). The indictment against him was sent to court. The resident of Odesa now faces up to five years in prison.

Recently, the Bureau exposed a local entrepreneur who organized an illegal business selling counterfeit cigarettes and alcohol.

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.

Another resident of Odesa organized underground production of cigarettes and then sold them on local markets. During the searches, the SBU seized goods worth over UAH 11 million.

The BES detectives also served suspicion notices to four people who set up illegal cigarette production on an industrial scale in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi.

In addition, law enforcement officers arrested a man who, together with six accomplices, set up a cigarette supply channel from Pakistan. This illegal business generated a monthly profit of almost $200,000.