Detectives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine for six months of 2023, as a result of searches and inspections within 59 registered criminal proceedings, seized from illegal circulation inventory items related to the illegal circulation of vodka products and alcohol in the amount of more than UAH 650 million, the Economic Security Bureau press service reported.

According to the report, according to the results of pretrial investigations, 17 people have already been declared suspected in criminal proceedings, nine proceedings have been sent to court and eight sentences have been passed.

According to the Bureau, within criminal proceedings, five lines for production of alcoholic beverages in Chernihiv, Odesa, Poltava, Volyn and Vinnytsia regions, as well as 375 tonnes of alcohol-containing products, and over 150,000 excise tax stamps with signs of forgery have been seized.

For comparison, for entire 2022, about 109 tonnes of alcohol-containing products and two lines for bottling alcoholic beverages were seized, the Bureau specified.

According to law enforcement agencies, in Dnipropetrovsk region, detectives exposed the persons who organized illegal production of a liquid with a characteristic smell of alcohol on an industrial scale. Every day, about 15-20 tonnes of alcohol was produced here, which was pumped through an underground pipeline with a length of about 1 km to the alcohol storage. About 107 tonnes of liquid with a characteristic smell of alcohol were seized in the amount of more than UAH 10 million. The amount of damage from non-payment of excise tax and VAT is about UAH 4 billion.

In Kyiv region, officers searched the warehouse, production and administrative premises of a sugar factory, where they identified and seized about 170 tonnes of anhydrous alcohol, sold under the guise of a component of gasoline and bioethanol, worth more than UAH 67.5 million.

In Kirovohrad region, at one of the factories, detectives seized more than 100,000 bottles of alcoholic beverages of various brands, more than 25,000 liters of liquid with a characteristic smell of alcohol, and 126,000 excise tax stamps with signs of forgery in the amount of about UAH 20 million.

In two cases, detectives recorded the absence of a permanent employee of the regulatory authority at the tax post.

In addition, the employees sent letters of recommendation to the National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection to block 75 illegal websites that sell illegally manufactured products.

As part of the Economic Security Bureau Main Detective Unit, relevant working groups have been created in certain areas to counter the illegal import, production and trade of tobacco products, alcoholic beverages and fuel.

As reported, since the beginning of the year, based on the results of combating illicit trafficking in tobacco products, the Economic Security Bureau has seized equipment and products worth UAH 750 million.