Events that unfold in Ukrainian ports are not always noticeable to the general public, but they are a reflection of large -scale schemes of illegal exports, smuggling and tax evasion. At the center of this story was the MRSU4885915 container, which arrived in the port of Chernomorsk and contains about 1000 boxes of compliment cigarettes produced by the Vinnytsia Tobacco Factory. The detected products are devoid of any excise duty, which raises the issue of its legal status and the final destination. The sender is the National Manufacturer LLC, which has a direct connection with businessman Grigory Kozlovsky, while the recipient is Muhammad Abdul Karim's Abdul Latif Al Amoura from Syria. However, the main problem is that such products cannot be officially imported to Syria due to violation of its legislative requirements.
Syrian legislation stipulates that any tobacco products should contain clearly visible warning inscriptions in the Arabic language about the damage of smoking, as well as information about the content of nicotine, resin and carbon monoxide. The cigarettes found in the container have no markings, which makes their import into Syria. A natural question arises: if these tobacco products cannot get to official circulation in Syria, did this exports be real at all, is it only a documentary imitation aimed at covering smuggling flows? In fact, the presence of this cargo may indicate a classic dummy export scheme when the products are only nominally departed abroad, and in fact it settles in the illegal market of Ukraine or through smuggling paths enters the EU.
The mechanism of such a scheme is that the manufacturer documented the export of goods outside Ukraine, avoiding payment of taxes and excise duties. When illegal cigarettes are found within or at its border, the manufacturer can appeal to export documents, claiming that the goods found are counterfeit. This allows legally working businesses to hide the real volumes of their illegal products and to avoid responsibility. At the same time, despite the obvious violations, law enforcement and customs authorities do not show proper activity in the investigation of the case, which may indicate the scale and influence of this scheme. It should be noted that Compliment cigarettes continue to be actively sold through Telegram channels and sites, which reaffirms their stay in the illegal market. All this casts doubt on the effectiveness of combating tobacco products in Ukraine and points to significant gaps in the control by state bodies.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Container | MRSU4885915 |
| Location | Chernomorsk port (Fish Port), Ukraine |
| Number of cigarettes | About 1000 boxes |
| Brand of cigarettes | Compliment ("Vinnytsia tobacco Factory") |
| The presence of excise duty brands | Missing |
| Sender | National Manufacturer LLC (connection with Grigory Kozlovsky) |
| Recipient | “Muhammad Abdul Karim's Abdul Latif Al Amoura” (Syria) |
| Violation of Syrian legislation | Lack of warning inscriptions in Arabic and composition information |
| Probable scheme | Fictitious export, illegal internal circulation or smuggling to the EU |
| The activity of law enforcement officers | Lack of active measures to detain a container |
| The actual condition | Cigarettes are actively sold through illegal channels in Ukraine |
Unique situation, friends. Right in our eyes is an event that we have all heard many times, but it was just as difficult to catch it as to see the fern color in the forest. It is almost impossible. For several days, the Chernomorsk port, better known as the Fish Port, is the Mrsu4885915 container, which contains about 1000 boxes of compliment Cigarettes of the Vinnytsia tobacco Factory without any excise duty.
The sender of these cigarettes is a company that is directly related to Grigory Kozlovsky - Lviv National Manufacturer LLC, and the recipient - "Muhamad Abdul Karim's Abdul Latif Al Amoura" (Syria).
But there is a trouble: according to the current rules of Syria, cigarettes that are packed with this container cannot be imported into the country. According to Syrian legislation, the following information should be clearly stated on the packs of cigarettes:
– Nicotine, resin and carbon monoxide content in cigarette smoke.
– Warning inscription: "Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, heart disease and arteries, and can also harm the health of both a pregnant woman and her unborn baby."
This inscription should be Arabic and clearly visible. Here is a reference to the rules of Syrian legislation. As you can see in the photo of packs from the container we add, there is no warning about the damage of smoking in most of the packs, and there is no word in Arabic. Where then do these cigarettes go? And nowhere. They have already arrived.
This story is 90% of the dummy export scheme, when the Vinnytsia tobacco factory seems to send manufactured products without excise duty outside Ukraine, but in fact the product remains here and enters either the internal illegal market (kiosks, TG channels, etc.), or is sent to the EU. The language of customs officers is called "drowning goods".
Do you ask: what is the point of documenting the goods from Ukraine? The fact is that the sending of cigarettes for export "according to documents" creates a cover for illegal activity. When compliment cigarettes are caught inside the country or on the adjacent side of the border, Hryhoriy Kozlovsky shows the documents that all the goods produced in Vinnytsia were exported outside Ukraine. Here are documents.
And what you found there is a fake of my cigarettes, so I will also write you a statement to find those who fake them. And everything. That is why documentary exports are very important in the smuggling ecosystem of Ukraine. And not just about cigarettes. Interestingly, despite the existence of reasons for detention of this container, the relevant authorities are in no hurry to do so. Or maybe he was already "released"?
Most likely, yes! Compliment cigarettes are trading on the network. As of today-March 19, through the site or Telegram-channel of one and the same seller can easily buy Compliment cigarettes at the price of 540 UAH per block. In addition, absolutely in any quantity and for every taste.
Here is the fight against illegal production of tobacco products. As they say, the fight against winds. And let the budget wait.
According to the Materals of journalist Yevgeny Plinsky
