In the Kovel district of the Volyn region, law enforcement officers have stopped the activities of an underground cigarette production workshop without any permits. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported this.
During a joint operation, employees of the Volyn Border Guard Unit, the Criminal Analysis Unit, and the Bureau of Economic Security exposed three local residents who organized the illegal manufacture of tobacco products.
In the home of a 45-year-old resident of the district, law enforcement officers discovered a real "mini-factory" - with a full set of equipment, raw materials and finished products. Inside the premises were industrial machines for packing, grinding and packaging tobacco.
During the search, 680 kilograms of tobacco leaves, 45 kilograms of crushed raw materials, almost 12,000 finished cigarettes, over 35,000 cigarette cases, as well as seven machines and draft records confirming the volume of illegal production were seized. According to a preliminary estimate, the value of the seized property exceeds half a million hryvnias.
The three individuals involved have been charged under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — illegal manufacture, storage, and sale of excisable goods. The indictments have already been sent to court.
Procedural management is provided by the Volyn Regional Prosecutor's Office.
