In the Lviv region, law enforcement officers exposed a group of individuals who were illegally extracting groundwater and bottling it in PET bottles. The amount of damage caused to the environment was preliminarily estimated at UAH 2.4 million. This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine, according to UNN.
Details
In the Lviv region, police exposed the illegal production of mineral water, which caused environmental damage amounting to UAH 2.4 million. According to the investigation, in Drohobych district, a group of individuals organized the extraction of groundwater from an aquifer well without the relevant permits
In particular, according to the available information, the suspects used the production facilities of a former mineral water plant. Using specialized industrial equipment, they bottled the extracted water in PET bottles, labeled them with trade brand stickers, and sold them to business entities in the Lviv region.
The production had effectively been set up as an industrial operation: premises covering approximately 1,000 sq. m were used, along with a bottling line capable of producing up to 2,000 1.5-liter bottles per hour, as well as a line for blowing PET bottles. At the same time, according to the investigation, the suspects did not have the necessary permits and had not carried out the water protection measures required by law
As a result, this activity led to violations of the groundwater use regime, its contamination, and the depletion of aquifers. In addition, it created a danger to the environment.
According to preliminary calculations, the amount of damage caused is UAH 2.4 million. During the searches, law enforcement officers seized industrial lines, as well as more than 4,000 bottles of finished 1.5-liter products, etc.
Specialists from the State Environmental Inspectorate in the Lviv region and the state enterprise "Zakhidukrgeolohiya" were involved in the investigative actions. They collected water samples for laboratory and expert examinations.
Let us recall
Law enforcement officers stopped the activities of a criminal organization that defrauded approximately 800 people of more than UAH 40 million under the guise of investing in cryptocurrency. The organizers turned out to be two residents of Kharkiv.