A large-scale scheme for the trade in counterfeit electronic cigarettes was uncovered in the Lviv region

A network selling illegally imported electronic cigarettes was dismantled in the Lviv region. The operation was carried out by employees of the State Border Guard Service and the Bureau of Economic Security with the support of the regional prosecutor’s office.

Employees of the Volyn and Carpathian border detachments, together with detectives from the bureau, discovered a scheme by which counterfeit electronic cigarettes entered Ukraine without passing through customs control. The goods were transported by a logistics company that ensured their delivery to the Lviv region, where they were sold as legal products.

During searches in Lviv, law enforcement officers seized more than 700 disposable electronic cigarettes, about 20 thousand bottles of liquids, as well as other components necessary for production. The total value of the seized counterfeit is estimated at approximately 16 million hryvnias.

Preparation of a report of suspicion against the organizers of the criminal scheme is ongoing in accordance with Article 201-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which concerns the movement of excisable goods without paying taxes. Investigative actions are continuing, and currently, a check is being conducted to determine the involvement of other individuals in this illegal business.