The Security Service of Ukraine has uncovered the largest underground tobacco factory in Ukraine (video)
20 March 23:24
The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine has shut down one of the largest illegal cigarette manufacturing operations in the agency’s history. The underground facility had the capacity to produce hundreds of thousands of packs of cigarettes daily, causing significant losses to the state budget. This was announced by Economic Security Bureau Director Oleksandr Tsivinsky, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
What were the production scales?
According to the investigation, the illegal factory had modern, full-cycle equipment—from tobacco processing to packaging of finished products with counterfeit excise stamps.
According to preliminary information:
- production amounted to up to 10,000 cigarettes per minute
- daily output was about 720,000 packs
- the facility employed about 40 people
- monthly illegal revenue could reach 1 billion hryvnias.
Which brands were counterfeited
According to journalist Yevhen Plinsky, the factory produced counterfeit cigarettes of well-known international brands.
Among them:
- Marlboro
- Kent
- Parlament
- Sobranie.
Some of the products were sold on the Ukrainian market and may also have been illegally exported to European Union countries.
What was found during the searches
During the investigative actions, law enforcement officers discovered:
- an automated production line
- large stocks of raw tobacco
- counterfeit excise stamps
- approximately 5,000 boxes of finished products.
A video released also shows that the facility operated as a full-scale industrial production complex.
Possible connection to past cases
According to Plinsky, this factory may have been involved in the 2024 scandal, when a shipment of illegal cigarettes being transported in gas tankers was seized at the border.
At the time, the incident garnered international attention.
What the organizers face
A pre-trial investigation is currently underway. Law enforcement officials are identifying the organizers of the scheme and the distribution channels for the products.
The BEB emphasizes that combating the black market for tobacco remains a top priority, as the illegal circulation of cigarettes causes significant losses to the state budget.
