Electronic cigarettes and e-liquids, more than 400 thousand kilograms of hookah tobacco - all this was tried to be sold by several residents of Odesa who had set up a network for the illegal sale of tobacco products. The goods were seized during searches. This was reported by the Bureau of Economic Security, UNN writes.
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It is noted that Odesa residents have organized the sale of e-cigarettes and e-liquids without excise stamps of Ukraine, hookah tobacco through a chain of stores. In addition, counterfeit products were sold via the Internet and channels in messengers.
"As a result of the searches, the BES detectives together with the officers of the Strategic Investigations Department in Odesa region of the National Police seized e-cigarettes with e-liquids, more than 400 kg of packaged hookah tobacco of various brands, documents of financial and economic activities, etc. The estimated value of the seized excisable goods is UAH 2.1 million. A number of expert examinations have been ordered, and the necessary investigative actions are underway," the Bureau of Economic Security said in a statement.
The BES added that a pre-trial investigation has been launched into the illegal manufacture, storage, sale or transportation of excisable goods for the purpose of selling them.
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Director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise Oleksandr Ruvin saidthat due to the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, experts have been conducting more frequent studies of tobacco products for electric heating and e-liquids.
"Since the beginning of the year, we have been systematically assigned to examine classic tobacco products, electrically heated tobacco products, so-called HTPs, and e-cigarette liquids. The recent increase in popularity and associated risks of e-cigarettes has been even greater than that of conventional cigarettes. In almost every assigned examination, experts are provided with up to 150-200 objects, i.e. samples of the relevant products, each of which must be properly examined," Ruvin said.