They planned to illegally export cigarettes worth 165 million through the port of Great Odesa
5.12.2024 - 09:40
More than 2 million packs of cigarettes without excise stamps were planned to be exported from the port of Odessa to Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
This was reported by the Bureau of Economic Security.
The Bureau detectives found more than 2 million packs of cigarettes without excise stamps worth UAH 165.6 million in three 40-foot sea containers.
“For a year, a group of people purchased cigarettes illegally manufactured at one of the domestic factories and subsequently distributed them both in Ukraine and abroad. Detectives conducted 3 authorized inspections of sea containers in the territory of one of the ports of Great Odesa,” the report says.
During investigative and operational measures, 4,140 thousand boxes were seized, in which more than 2 million packs of cigarettes without excise stamps were hidden. They were planned to be exported to Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The shipping documents for the cargo indicated that the tobacco products were marked for sale in Duty Free stores.
“At the same time, according to the information placed on the packs, the cigarettes were allegedly manufactured in Egypt, Portugal and Switzerland. Currently, a pre-trial investigation is underway. The full range of persons involved in illegal activities is being identified,” the Bureau of Economic Security noted.
As previously reported by USM, the Bureau of Economic Security reported on the fight against “black” exports from the ports of Ukraine.
