I was born in the village next to the bootleg factory. Heard about the factory a couple years ago when they were looking to hire mechanics. I couldn't believe they decided to open it illegally and found the whole story hilarious. The story is still unfolding and the owner claims that the factory was in fact a research facility and no helicopters were sold. I don't believe that :)

The facility is located in the commune of Răculești, district Criuleni. It's a couple of kilometers away, but not in the disputed territory of Transnistria as falsely claimed in another comment. The owner and the factory workers on the hand, are residents of Transnistria. Why had they decided to open the factory on the "legal" side of the border - I have no idea. Transnistria is notorious for illicit activities including drugs and guns smuggling and would have been the perfect location for a bootleg factory.

Anyway, Moldovan Prosecutor's Office is known to take bribes and this "shut down" sounds like a deal gone wrong between prosecutor mafia and the factory owner.