Under the procedural guidance of the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor's Office, a network of stores has been uncovered and shut down, through which illegally manufactured nicotine-containing mixtures and liquids were distributed.

As part of the pre-trial investigation, 15 authorized searches were conducted at the locations where counterfeit products were sold. During the investigative actions, over 35,000 containers with liquids for electronic cigarettes without excise tax labels, about 10,000 cartridges and POD systems, as well as computers, mobile phones, cash, a cash register terminal, and rough notes were seized. A total of 38 samples of the products were selected for examination.

The estimated value of the seized liquids and mixtures exceeds 5 million hryvnias.

The work to combat the illegal circulation of excise goods is systematic. Since July 2025, law enforcement agencies in the region have conducted over 80 authorized searches, shutting down the activities of an underground workshop for the industrial production of nicotine-containing mixtures and liquids, as well as 66 stores where such products were stored and sold.

Currently, judicial examinations are ongoing to determine the chemical composition of the seized mixtures and substances. Based on their results, a decision will be made regarding the notification of suspicion to the involved individuals.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted on the grounds of criminal offenses provided for in part 1 of Article 199, part 1 and part 2 of Article 204, and part 1 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. It is being carried out by detectives of the Bureau of Economic Security with operational support from the National Police and the 24th Border Detachment.

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 guilty verdict of the court.