During more than 20 searches, law enforcement officers seized electronic cigarettes without excise stamps and liquids for them worth UAH 52 million. Six organizers of the sale of illegally manufactured goods were declared suspicious. This is reported by the Bureau of economic security, writes UNN.
It is noted that earlier beb detectives exposed a large-scale scheme for the sale of excisable goods without excise tax stamps. A group of individuals organized the sale of illegally manufactured excisable goods through a chain of stores and an internet site. Stores were located in several western regions, including Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil. Then law enforcement officers conducted more than 20 searches and seized property worth more than 40 million UAH.
However, the attackers did not stop their activities.
"During the pre-trial investigation, it became known that after the searches, the defendants continued to illegally sell excisable goods. Beb detectives repeatedly conducted searches in the warehouse and places of sale of products. More than 45 thousand electronic cigarettes and liquids used in them were seized. The estimated value of the seized goods is more than UAH 12 million," the BEB said in a statement.
Now six defendants have been informed of suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
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The Kiev Research Institute of forensic examinations previously saidthat they began to study the so-called electronic cigarettes , heating devices and liquids for them more often. The latter are divided into a separate group of products – these are pure chemicals, exclusively liquids with synthesized nicotine or its substitutes.
Director of KNIISE Alexander Ruvin in an exclusive interview UNN Explained that the study of tobacco products consists of several stages.
"Everything goes in the opposite order to the production process. The first is tracological studies of packaging, signs of the equipment on which cigarettes were produced, the method of packaging the pack, traces of aggregates and machines, features of adhesive materials, as well as whether all markings and protective elements are correctly applied to the pack of cigars, which are defined by the current legislation. Next, excise stamps are examined for compliance with reference samples. After that, it is the turn of cigarettes directly – we examine the materials from which the cigarette is made and packaging: paper, filter, polyethylene, again glue, etc. In the end, the biological study of tobacco products allows you to study tobacco itself (a mixture that manufacturers use and which has a unique recipe for each production). This stage shows the quality of tobacco, its quantity, compliance with standards, the content of various substances, etc.," Ruvin said.