BES exposes hookah tobacco workshop in Volyn, seizes products worth UAH 8 mln

Detectives of the territorial department of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BES) in Volyn region shut down an underground workshop illegally producing hookah tobacco on an industrial scale.

According to the bureau, residents of Volyn and Lviv regions involved in the illegal activity were identified during the pretrial investigation. They equipped warehouse premises with machinery for a full production cycle of hookah tobacco and employed workers without official registration.

During searches, detectives discovered significant volumes of finished products and raw materials. They seized over 22,000 packages of hookah tobacco weighing 2.2 tonnes, about 3 tonnes of raw materials, various additives, packaging materials, and equipment. The estimated value of the seized products exceeds UAH 8 million. The seized property has been placed under arrest.

The agency’s website notes that the suspects involved bloggers and used marketing tools to promote the products, aiming to establish sales and circulate illegally manufactured goods in large volumes.

A pretrial investigation is ongoing under Part 2 of Art. 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal manufacture and storage of excise goods). Detectives are identifying the full circle of persons involved in organizing and operating the underground production.

BES added that operational support in the criminal proceedings is provided by the Volyn department of the Internal Security Department of the National Police and the 6th border detachment of the State Border Guard Service. Procedural guidance is provided by the Volyn Regional Prosecutor’s Office.