Under the procedural guidance of the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor's Office, the sale of counterfeit tobacco products and illegally manufactured alcoholic beverages has been halted within the framework of criminal proceedings under Articles 199 and 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, a group of individuals secretly manufactured, stored for sale, and sold counterfeit excise goods in the territory of Vinnytsia in order to obtain illegal profits.

Prosecutors and detectives from the Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigations in Vinnytsia, with operational support from the Security Service of Ukraine in Vinnytsia, the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine in Vinnytsia, and with the force support of the "KORD" unit of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Vinnytsia, conducted 15 authorized searches at the residences of the group and in the warehouses they used.

More than 23 thousand packs of cigarettes, 53 thousand unpackaged cigarettes, nearly 1000 kilograms of tobacco, and almost 200 liters of alcohol and finished alcoholic products were discovered and seized. 

The seized items lack documents regarding their origin, quality, do not have excise tax stamps, and do not indicate the manufacturer's details.

In addition, a machine for producing tobacco products, over 145,000 cigarette tubes, and 13 thousand excise tax stamps from the Republic of Moldova, which are not in official circulation in Ukraine, as well as cash in national and foreign currency totaling over 2 million UAH were seized.

The estimated value of the seized counterfeit products and raw materials is nearly 4 million UAH.

Currently, a comprehensive set of investigative actions is being conducted to establish all circumstances of the criminal offense.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.