The State Bureau of Investigation has completed an investigation into an organized group that produced counterfeit alcohol on an industrial scale
Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation completed pre-trial investigation in the case of an organized group engaged in the industrial production and sale of adulterated alcohol. The group included five people, including a former law enforcement officer from the Rivne region.
The investigation established that since September 2024, the members of the group established a full-scale production of illegal alcohol. They equipped premises in the village of Kvasyliv and the city of Rivne for underground workshops, where they installed lines for capping bottles of 0.5 and 0.7 liters. Alcohol and chemical components were purchased for production, as well as fake labels and fake excise stamps were made to imitate official products.
Counterfeit goods were sold through small shops, mainly in rural areas of the Rivne region. The sellers knew about the lack of documents for the products and their illegal origin. In total, about 8.5 thousand liters of illegal alcohol were sold.
The cases of six sellers who participated in the sale of falsified products are already under consideration. Two of them have already been found guilty under part. 1 Art. 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal sale of excise goods).
One of the most active participants in the scheme — a former law enforcement officer — received about 40,000 hryvnias per month for carrying out the organizer’s orders: he was engaged in the production of alcohol, logistics and delivery of goods to trading points. He is currently discharged from the authorities.
During searches conducted on November 20, 2024, investigators seized more than 6,000 bottles of alcohol of various sizes, polymer containers of 5 and 10 liters, production equipment and chemicals. Cash in various currencies totaling about 3 million hryvnias and three cars used to transport the goods were found in the organizer’s apartment.
The organizer of the scheme and four more of its participants, including a former law enforcement officer, are charged with the illegal manufacture, storage for the purpose of sale and sale of alcoholic products, as well as with the purchase and storage of forged excise stamps for further use during sales.
Their actions are qualified by ch.ch. 2, 3 Art. 27, ch. 3 Art. 28, ch. 2 Art. 204, ch. 1 Art. 204, ch. 3 Art. 199 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The accused face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. Procedural management in the case is carried out by the Rivne Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
