Driver Caught Smuggling Military-Aged Men Across Ukraine-Moldova Border

On the Odesa-Reni highway, border guards of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi detachment stopped a minibus driver who was trying to deliver three men of military age to the border with Moldova.

This was reported by the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

According to law enforcement officials, a 54-year-old sales representative, acting in collusion with online organizers, met his fellow travelers in one of the settlements of Odesa region. Using the fact that he works for a private enterprise specializing in wholesale trade, he hid them in the luggage compartment of the vehicle among the goods and cardboard boxes.

Residents of Odesa, Kyiv and Kharkiv regions found foreign transfer services on the Internet. For this, each of them made a money transfer to a crypto wallet in the amount of USD 7 thousand. The carrier was also supposed to receive his share - 1 thousand hryvnias from each client.

The driver has been detained and served a notice of suspicion of committing a crime under Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine".

Reports of administrative offenses were drawn up against the passengers under Article 204-1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Ukraine "Illegal crossing or attempt to illegally cross the state border of Ukraine". The cases were sent to court.

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Earlier, the State Bureau of Investigation together with border guards detained an official of a law enforcement agency in Odesa region on suspicion of setting up a scheme for smuggling men liable for military service across the state border to the Republic of Moldova.

Prior to that, prosecutors sent to court an indictment against the organizer and four members of an organized group on the fact of illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine committed by an organized group for mercenary motives.

Кирило Бойко