19.02.2025 Arbitrariness of judges Money laundering

The godfather of Alperin smuggling and blocking the grain corridor

Vadym Alperin is an Odesa resident who is often called the “godfather of smuggling.” The man is a beneficiary of an Odesa tobacco group and a person who knows how to negotiate, even with the most prestigious and incorruptible anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine. The President of Ukraine personally announced a reward for providing information about Alperin’s whereabouts. However, as we can see, the man is still evading punishment.

Why is Alperin called the “godfather” of smuggling?

One of Alperin’s main money-making schemes is smuggling excisable goods, including tobacco products. By running the companies ORION TOBACCO, SAMERSTON TOBACCO, and TUCHUKOVA PIVDENNA, Alperin is engaged in the production of counterfeit tobacco products, which are then sold without paying excise taxes.

Counterfeit excise stamps are produced through fictitious companies and affixed to counterfeit products. The tobacco products are sold through illegal outlets where the goods are sold for cash without paying taxes. The products are exported through the Odesa region to the European Union, bypassing customs control and other checks. The proceeds from the sale of counterfeit goods go to Alperin and his accomplices through financial institutions, cryptocurrency exchanges and drop services.

How do judges and officials help big tobacco mafias to circumvent the law?

In 2022, large-scale searches took place at one of the largest tobacco manufacturing companies, ORION Tobacco LLC. During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized not only cigarette manufacturing equipment, but also about a million packs of counterfeit tobacco products, including Zolota Marka Original and Zapal jazz.

The criminal enterprise not only produced counterfeit products, but also actively evaded responsibility. After the evidence was seized, the company’s director, Pavlo Kulagin, who was under investigation at the time, fled. However, he was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center.

In January 2024, it became known that the judge of the Shevchenkivskyi District Court, Vitalii Tsyktych, canceled the arrest of the seized equipment, which was returned to the company DAVOS GROUP LLC, which, as it turned out, at that time belonged to the criminal authority Alperin.

The tobacco lines started working again for counterfeit products, and the criminal production scheme resumed. However, instead of defending the interests of the state, Judge Ciktic repeatedly postponed the hearing, allowing Alperin and his structures to continue working in the usual rhythm.

In addition, it was after such actions that, in early May 2024, the Bureau of Economic Security conducted new searches at all tobacco factories, which established that the state suffered losses of UAH 127 million. Instead of immediately seizing the property and stopping the activities of the criminal organization, Judge Ciktic again avoided making a decision.

Alperin’s activities would not have been possible without the support of government officials. For years, the BES, the State Tax Service, the State Customs and Border Guard Service have been helping the smuggler’s structures to circumvent the law: to forge documents and certificates, cross the border unhindered and avoid responsibility, even after searches.

Ukraine is riddled with corruption schemes, and even the National Security and Defense Council’s sanctions and the President’s appeals cannot stop their implementation.

Therefore, the reasons for the failure to take action on the part of law enforcement officers, who, although formally initiating criminal proceedings, have not yet conducted proper investigative actions within them, become clear. Questions to the Prosecutor General’s Office (№ 42024000000001122 part 1 of Article 376-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.), the BES in Odesa region (№ 72024171100000002 part 1 of Article 204, part 2 of Article 204, part 2 of Article 199 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office (№ 42025100000000023 under part 1 of Article 376-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), the SBI in Kyiv (№ 62024100110000186 part 1 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

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