E-cigarettes worth more than UAH 2 million: an illegal tobacco sales network exposed in one of Ukraine's regions

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.

Details

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.