In the Chernivtsi region, an indictment was submitted to the court against a local resident, who is accused of organizing the illegal production and sale of counterfeit alcoholic beverages.
According to the investigation, the man set up a full cycle of purchasing, storing, and producing surrogate alcohol for its subsequent sale. The bottling was carried out in unsanitary conditions in reused bottles, which were later sold as ordinary glass containers.
The counterfeit products were marked with fake labels and so-called “souvenir” excise stamps with the inscription “Promotional gift stamp. Souvenir.” In this way, the organizer tried to create the appearance of the legal origin of the goods.
The sale of counterfeit alcohol was carried out, in particular, at the Kalynivskyi market and other retail outlets in Chernivtsi.
During the searches, detectives from the Bureau of Economic Security seized over 1,600 liters of ethyl alcohol, about 1,100 liters of finished alcoholic beverages, bottling equipment, packaging materials, and draft accounting records. The estimated value of the seized items exceeds 1 million hryvnias.
The actions of the accused are qualified under parts one and two of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - illegal manufacture, storage and sale of excisable goods. The sanction of the articles provides for up to five years of imprisonment with confiscation of property, as well as the destruction of illegally manufactured products and equipment.
