12 May 2026
(PHOTO: National Police in Odesa region)
The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office has served seven members of a criminal group that organized the clandestine cultivation, manufacture, and illegal sale of tobacco products.
According to the press service of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office, the suspects include a 32-year-old organizer of the scheme, a 24-year-old resident of Ternopil region, and five other accomplices aged 26 to 58.
The participants of the scheme operated completely outside the law, without licenses for tobacco cultivation, processing and sale. In early 2025, the organizer created an extensive illegal distribution network and clearly distributed roles among the participants.
After harvesting , tobacco from Ternopil region was sent to Odesa for storage and further processing. The two warehouses were equipped with equipment, scales, accessories needed for manufacturing, sleeves, flavorings, stretch film for packaging, etc.
Some dealers were responsible for the operation of specially created websites, taking orders and organizing the shipment of goods by mail. Others were engaged in packaging counterfeit products, storing them and selling them through trade pavilions in Odesa markets.
The illegal goods were sold via the Internet with delivery by postal services and payment upon receipt. The raw materials for the clandestine production were supplied from Ternopil region, where tobacco was grown on land without licenses. At the illegal plantation, the plants were dried, processed and prepared for further sale.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers established the facts of illegal purchase and sale of more than 950 kg of clandestinely produced tobacco. During almost a year of illegal activity, they produced more than eight tons of raw tobacco. The total value of the seized goods and equipment exceeds millions of hryvnias.
Earlier, detectives of the Economic Security Bureau in Odesa region exposed a group of people who organized the illegal sale of hookah tobacco.
Кирило Бойко