“In Bukovina, law enforcement officers uncovered a large-scale scheme for the production and sale of low-quality fuel in the territory of several regions. As reported by the National Police, it was possible to establish not only the sales channels of the product, but also the method of production and the place of storage of this fuel. Underground producers acted in collusion with officials of several enterprises in the field of petroleum products trade. Such close “cooperation” allowed the dealers to establish”, — write on: ua.news
In Bukovina, law enforcement officers uncovered a large-scale scheme for the production and sale of low-quality fuel in the territory of several regions.
As reported by the National Police, it was possible to establish not only the sales channels of the product, but also the method of production and the place of storage of this fuel.
Underground producers acted in collusion with officials of several enterprises in the field of petroleum products trade. Such close “cooperation” allowed dealers to sell fake fuel under the guise of high-quality fuel through a number of gas stations in Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi regions. In order to disguise and legalize criminal activity, the perpetrators entered unreliable data into the financial statements.
They also underestimated the quality of the fuel: in order to artificially increase the volume, and therefore a much higher profit, the attackers added various mixtures to A-95 gasoline, in particular gas condensate. The mixing procedure took place in the tanks of truck tankers, where various additives of unknown origin were added to increase the octane number.
According to the results of the examination, it was established that the fuel and lubricants that the defendants sold to entrepreneurs for cash do not comply with state regulations and are close to low-quality Euro 3 and Euro 4 environmental standards, which are prohibited for use by the legislation of Ukraine.
Law enforcement officers conducted 15 authorized searches on the territory of the Chernivtsi region, at the residences and vehicles of the persons involved, as well as in the office premises of enterprises that bought falsified fuel. As a result, about 140 tons of diesel fuel and gas condensate, two fuel trucks used by the parties to transport counterfeit fuel, documentation, money and draft records were seized.
According to a preliminary estimate, the value of the seized is about UAH 20 million.
Currently, the criminal proceedings are being investigated under Articles 190 (Fraud) and 204 (Illegal manufacture, storage, sale or transportation for the purpose of sale of excise goods) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Subsequently, the issue of notification of suspicion to persons involved in the manufacture and sale of falsified fuel will be resolved.