Illegal cigarette factory producing 50,000 packs a day exposed near Uman

Illegal tobacco product production halted

Law enforcement agencies in the Cherkasy region discovered and dismantled an illegal cigarette production facility. The site was located on the outskirts of the city of Uman. According to investigative data, the capacity of this underground "factory" reached 50,000 packs of tobacco products daily.

As reported by representatives of the Bureau of Economic Security and the Office of the Prosecutor General, infrastructure for the full-cycle production of goods was set up in a warehouse facility. The criminals manufactured cigarettes imitating well-known Ukrainian and European brands, with the aim of further sale on the market.

Search results and asset seizure

During the operational measures, investigators confiscated a significant amount of material evidence. Among the seized items:

• an industrial equipment line for cigarette production;
• over 295,000 packs of finished tobacco products;
• 95 bags of fermented tobacco;
• packaging materials and cigarette paper.

In addition to production resources, investigators seized over 36,000 US dollars in cash, a cargo vehicle, mobile phones, and draft notes from the case subjects. The total estimated value of the seized assets is approximately 30 million hryvnia.

Criminal liability for seven individuals

The investigation established that seven individuals were involved in the organisation and operation of this illegal production. All case subjects have been notified of suspicion of committing a crime under legislation for the illegal manufacture and storage of tobacco products for the purpose of sale.

Currently, investigators are continuing to clarify all the circumstances of the criminal proceedings to establish the full picture of the group's criminal activity.