Mykolaiv region entrepreneur illegally sold groundwater under his own brand

In the Mykolaiv region, the police exposed and stopped a large-scale scheme of illegal extraction and sale of artesian water, which caused the state losses of more than UAH 120 million. The suspect, a 41-year-old director of a company, has already been notified of being suspected and faces up to six years in prison.

This was reported by the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.

Investigators found that between January 2024 and September 2025, the suspect, acting on a previous conspiracy by a group of people, organized illegal fishing in the Bashtanka district.

The man, using his company, illegally extracted artesian water from a 70-meter deep well. These waters are minerals of national importance, and their extraction requires a special permit, which the offender did not have.

Subsequently, these resources were used for the production, packaging and sale of drinking water to local residents under the created trademark, which allowed the offender to avoid paying mandatory payments and conceal the illegal origin of the products.

During the authorized searches, law enforcement officers seized key evidence of the illegal production. Among the seized items: an electric pump for extraction, 10 industrial facilities of the production line for manufacturing and sorting plastic containers, as well as product labeling, more than 2,000 containers with finished products (carbonated and non-carbonated water), almost 900 empty containers, labeling equipment and draft documentation.

The crime was uncovered by investigators of the regional police headquarters under the operational support of the Regional Department of Strategic Investigations and the procedural guidance of the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office. The issue of choosing a type of detention for the suspect is currently being decided, and a motion to seize the seized material evidence has been filed with the court.

Катерина Глушко