Operation “Excise”: in Bukovina police seized a counterfeit worth a million hryvnias
Among the seized more than 6500 liters of alcohol and ready-to-sell products, as well as 5,000 excise tax stamps with signs of counterfeiting.
On the territory of Ukraine, the operation “Excise” continues: the police continue measures to work out the illegal market of excisable products. Thus, in the Chernivtsi region, the operatives of the Strategic Investigation Department and the investigators of the regional police established the locations of the underground workshop for the production of counterfeit alcohol, sales and persons involved in the organization of illegal activities.
The group consisted of five local residents. They sold products under the guise of well-known Ukrainian trademarks, using fake excise tax stamps. Alcohol was sold through a retail network and through so-called “bottlers”.
On January 25, the police conducted 20 authorized searches of the places of residence of the defendants, the manufacture and storage of counterfeit products. More than 5000 liters of alcohol and 1500 liters of ready-to-sell products, 852 bottles of vodka of various brands, 5000 excise tax stamps with signs of counterfeiting, 216 blocks of cigarettes, empty containers, packaging materials and equipment from the underground workshop were seized.
The total value of the seized reaches one million hryvnias.
Criminal proceedings are investigated under Articles 199 (Manufacture, storage, acquisition, transportation, shipment, importation into Ukraine for use in the sale of goods, sale or sale of counterfeit money, state securities existing in paper form, state lottery tickets, excise stamps tax or holographic protective elements) and 204 (Illegal manufacture, storage, sale or transportation for the purpose of sale of excisable goods) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The procedural guidance in the pre-trial investigation is carried out by the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office.
Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine
