Under the procedural guidance of the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office, an underground production of fermented tobacco has been uncovered, operating under the cover of an agricultural enterprise in the Dnistrovskyi district. The illegal products were sold throughout the country.

The factory was equipped as a full-fledged production facility: workshops for cleaning and sorting leaves, drying containers for fermentation, equipment for pressing and packaging. All of this allowed for the establishment of mass production of tobacco products that ended up on the black market.

As a result of the conducted searches, the following was seized: over 25 tons of tobacco raw materials; equipment for processing and packaging; three units of special machinery – a tractor, a sprayer, and a tobacco harvester; cash, rough notes, and other material carriers confirming illegal activities.

According to estimates, the approximate value of the seized items amounts to 30 million hryvnias. A seizure has been imposed on all property. The identification of all involved persons is ongoing.

Criminal proceedings have been registered under Articles 201-4 ("Smuggling of excise goods") and 204 ("Illegal production, storage, sale, or transportation for the purpose of sale of excise goods") of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by detectives of the Territorial Department of the Bureau of Economic Security in Chernivtsi region with operational support from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

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.