Recently, border guards of the Operational and Investigative Department of the Kyiv Separate BCP together with detectives of the ESB of Ukraine conducted searches in Kyiv as part of criminal proceedings.

As a result of the searches in the premises of the persons involved in the case, law enforcement officers found and seized 148 thousand packs of cigarettes worth over UAH 12 million. Law enforcement officials established that a group of people set up a channel for selling counterfeit cigarettes in Kyiv and the region using fake and unstamped excise stamps.

Law enforcement officers also seized documentation and draft accounting records relevant to the case. The full range of persons involved in the scheme is currently being identified.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by detectives of the ESB TD in Kyiv under the supervision of the Local Prosecutor's Office in Kyiv.