In Cherkasy region, an illegal tobacco factory producing 50,000 packs of cigarettes a day was shut down

In Cherkasy region, law enforcement shut down an underground tobacco factory where up to 50,000 packs of cigarettes of well-known brands were produced daily. During searches, nearly 300,000 packs of finished products and equipment worth about 30 million hryvnias (€592,500) were seized.

This was reported by the Main Directorate of the National Police in Cherkasy region.

“Under the procedural supervision of the Office of the Prosecutor General, the activity of an underground tobacco factory in Cherkasy region has been stopped, where up to 50,000 packs of cigarettes per day were produced,” the statement said.

Seven residents of Cherkasy, Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk regions were involved in the scheme. They set up the illegal production of cigarettes of well-known Ukrainian and European brands in a warehouse facility on the outskirts of Uman. Industrial lines were installed there and a full production cycle was organized. To ensure uninterrupted operation, the factory was supplied with backup power sources.

The finished cigarettes were sold across Ukraine through retail trade networks.

During the searches, officers seized a full-cycle cigarette production line, nearly 296,000 packs of finished products, 95 sacks of fermented tobacco, packaging materials, 138 rolls of cigarette paper, more than $36,000 in U.S. cash, a truck, mobile phones, and handwritten notes.

The preliminary value of the seized products and equipment is about 30 million hryvnias (€592,500).