The Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office is conducting procedural leadership in a criminal proceeding regarding the production, storage for the purpose of sale of tobacco, and the legalization of funds obtained through criminal means (parts 1, 2 of Article 204,   part 1 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, a group of individuals organized a full cycle of tobacco production without the necessary licenses - from growing and harvesting plants to fermentation, grinding, and sale. They used the details of a controlled enterprise for cover.

The illegal activities were carried out in the Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, and Odesa regions. The finished products were sold on an industrial scale throughout the country.

As a result of the conducted authorized searches at the places of production, storage, and sale of the counterfeit products, about 45 tons of leaves and ready-to-sell tobacco, over 75 tons of harvested plants, production equipment, and 252 thousand UAH were seized. Approximately 70 hectares of land with unharvested crops were also discovered.

The estimated value of the seized items is over 25 million UAH.

Currently, the issue of appointing relevant examinations and imposing a seizure on the property is being resolved.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police in the region with operational support from the Security Service of Ukraine in the Khmelnytskyi region.