Almost a billion hryvnias - this is exactly the amount for which illegal tobacco products and equipment for their production were seized in Ukraine

In Ukraine, since the beginning of this year, law enforcement officers have seized almost a billion hryvnias worth of illegal tobacco products and equipment for their production. This is reported by the Bureau of economic security, writes UNN.

Details 

In particular, we are talking about more than five million packs of cigarettes and 15 industrial lines for the production of tobacco products.

"According to the results of searches and inspections, BEB detectives seized more than 5.1 million packs of cigarettes, 309 thousand pieces of electronic cigarettes, almost 300 thousand kg of tobacco, and 15 industrial production lines from illegal circulation. The total estimated value of the seized goods is almost UAH 950 million," the Economic Security Bureau said in a statement.

The BEB added that since the beginning of 2024, detectives of the Bureau of economic security  have launched a pre-trial investigation in 514 criminal proceedings in the field of illegal trafficking in excisable goods, of which 351 cases concerned tobacco products.

Optional

Director of the Kiev Research Institute of forensic examinations Alexander Ruvin in an exclusive interview UNN saidthat in reducing the number of counterfeit tobacco products should be a common interest of the state and legal producers. At the same time, there should be a clear understanding that only irrefutable evidence from forensic experts makes it possible to bring malefactors to justice. So, the fight against the shadow tobacco market is a common and complex task.

"It is the expert examination that is evidence in court, so this is a common task of both expert institutions and law enforcement agencies, all government departments involved. Of course, the processes are very complex, not all manufacturers are open to cooperation, and there are other difficulties. In Ukraine, there are major players – tobacco producers – these are large companies that are interested in ensuring that both the state and they themselves do not suffer losses from counterfeiting. After all, if there are fewer fakes, the manufacturer will sell more of its legal products, make a big profit and, accordingly, more taxes will go to the state budget. They are ready to provide all samples, open data, and cooperate in every possible way. However, there are cases where the opposite is true, and it is logical to assume that in those cases there are a lot of risks, we are talking about very large - scale losses for the state, which are measured in huge amounts," Ruvin said.