Under the procedural guidance of the Rivne Regional Prosecutor's Office, at the end of October, four individuals were notified of suspicion of fraud committed by an organized group (Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, in January 2025, a resident of the village of Velyka Omelyana in the Rivne district developed a scheme for the sale of counterfeit products disguised as mineral fertilizers. He involved three acquaintances in this activity.

On the premises of a warehouse in the regional center, the man organized the process of producing a substance based on calcium carbonate, which externally resembles the mineral fertilizer "nitroammophos." The counterfeit was packaged in bags of a well-known brand and sold through an online advertisement platform.  

The investigation documented six episodes of the sale of about 100 tons of counterfeit fertilizers worth nearly 1.3 million UAH. A forensic examination confirmed that the substance sold by the suspects does not belong to nitroammophos and is not a mineral fertilizer.

The scheme was uncovered in July 2025. During searches of the group members, mobile phones, bags labeled with a chemical company's branding, a vehicle, 36 tons of illegally produced products, and 12 tons of limestone were seized.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Rivne District Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Rivne region and the Investigative Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the region, with operational support from the employees of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Rivne region.