The shadow market for vape products valued at 125 million UAH has expanded across Kyiv, Vinnytsia, and Odesa regions. A large-scale special operation involved over 150 raids. Illegal products, equipment, cash, and other assets of significant value were seized.
Prosecutors and police examined all stages of the shadow production: manufacturing, packaging, storage, logistics, and sales through shops. Scheme participants sold nicotine-containing liquids bypassing legal restrictions.
In the Kyiv region, a full cycle of liquid production was established. As a result of more than 100 raids, tons of raw materials and equipment were seized: three filling lines, over 708,000 flavourings and glycerine.
In Vinnytsia, a 26-year-old organiser, along with two accomplices, linked the scheme to 12 dummy sole proprietorships. Their turnover reached 67 million UAH, with seized cash and thousands of POD systems.
In Odesa, 11 searches were conducted at points selling excise goods without documentation. Products worth 4.8 million UAH, including electronic cigarettes and glycerine, were seized.