Set up in an abandoned stable - an underground cigarette factory was exposed in Zakarpattia region

In Zakarpattia region, an underground cigarette production facility with a capacity of 20,000 packs per day, carefully disguised in a stable, was uncovered. During the searches, tobacco products worth approximately five million hryvnias were seized. This was reported by the Bureau of Economic Security, UNN writes.

Law enforcement officers found that local residents organized illegal production in an abandoned stable in one of the villages of Mukachevo district.

The entrance to the workshop was carefully disguised. The only way to get inside was through a hole in the wall, which was covered with haystacks. The premises contained generators, raw materials, packaging materials, etc.

According to the BEB, four people worked in shifts, producing approximately 20,000 packs of cigarettes per day.

The finished tobacco products were packaged in packs with logos of Ukrainian and foreign manufacturers and fake excise tax stamps were affixed. Every day, the goods were shipped to a wholesale buyer, who then sold the cigarettes on the local market and in the regions of western and central Ukraine.

As a result of the searches, BES detectives and SBU officers seized a production line, over 50,000 packs of cigarettes, 2.5 tons of tobacco, almost 1 million excise tax stamps, 2 million empty cigarette packaging packs, over 5 million boxes for packaging finished products, etc. Searches were also conducted at the premises of individuals involved in the organization and operation of the illegal business. The estimated value of the seized tobacco products is UAH 5 million

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Director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise Oleksandr Ruvin in an exclusive interview with UNN saidthat without practical use, new tools to combat the illegal tobacco market will not be effective.

At one time, we had an idea to create a thematic register of manufacturers. The State Tax Service provided us with a list of companies licensed to sell tobacco products - more than 50 representatives. The companies were supposed to provide us with reference product samples. We received some of the information, but this work is not being used as effectively as it could be. In addition, the experts have all the technical capabilities to conduct direct monitoring visits to production facilities. The steps are simple: the arrival of experts, production of several packs in their presence, prompt analysis of all characteristics on site (tobacco, packaging, filter elements, other components and their signs), and a conclusion here and now. Resolutions on the appointment of expert examinations to investigate the facts of illegal tobacco production are now being issued in the amount of dozens a day, and the state must have clarity on this issue