Residents of Ternopil Oblast will pay over 270,000 UAH in fines for the illegal sale of 11 tons of alcohol.

Two residents of Ternopil region were fined over 270 thousand UAH for the illegal sale of 11 tons of alcohol, which they disguised as distilled water. The illegal activity was carried out by a local man and woman in the village of Zalissia. The investigation also revealed that a third accomplice assisted them, but he is currently hiding abroad. In court, the defendants did not admit their guilt.

During the investigation, law enforcement officers established that three locals in the village of Zalissia, Ternopil district, were storing and selling alcohol on a large scale. Their unlawful activities were uncovered in the summer of 2023. The criminal group produced, bottled, packaged, and sold ethyl alcohol throughout Ukraine. To sell the counterfeit product, the organizers created an online store and sold alcohol online. They shipped the fake product in trucks in bottles labeled "distilled water." During searches, law enforcement seized 11 thousand liters of counterfeit products and 2 million UAH in cash. According to the chief police officer of the region, Serhiy Zyubanenko, some police officers had overlooked the illegal activities of the surrogate production shop for years. As a result, these officers were reassigned to lower positions.

After the completion of the pre-trial investigation, the case was handed over to the court. The prosecutor proved that three residents of Ternopil district had been engaged in illegal business throughout 2023, as reported by the Ternopil prosecutor's office on Thursday, November 14.

“One of the group members found and rented a non-residential premises at 20 Vyshnivetska Street in the village of Zalyshechky in May 2023, where he set up a warehouse and placed plastic barrels, bottles, hoses, and electric pumps for bottling and transporting ethyl alcohol. Additionally, the accomplice recruited workers to assist in the bottling of illegally produced alcohol,” states the court's verdict.

In court, the accused man and woman did not acknowledge their guilt. The third accomplice has not been detained yet as he is hiding abroad, and he has been placed on an international wanted list. The Zboriv District Court found both defendants guilty. The group's organizer received the maximum penalty – a fine of 170 thousand UAH, while his accomplice was fined 102 thousand UAH. All illegally produced products, bottling equipment, and vehicles used for transportation were also confiscated from the convicted individuals.