In the Odesa region, 10 men were caught trying to smuggle 10 men out of the country disguised as furniture

Border guards from the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Detachment, acting on intelligence, detained a truck at the “Starokozache” checkpoint in the Odesa region; the truck’s cargo area contained 10 men attempting to secretly cross the border.

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

A 57-year-old Moldovan citizen, who was driving the truck, was heading out of Ukraine. According to the shipping documents, he was supposed to be transporting only furniture components. However, among the declared cargo, the inspection team discovered men of draft age hiding under boxes of furniture. To endure the harsh temperature conditions in the enclosed, tarped-off space, the passengers had brought only drinking water with them.

As it turned out, a 57-year-old resident of Odesa was involved in carrying out this criminal scheme. She recruited men subject to military conscription, housed them in hotels, and transported them to the outskirts of the city, where the truck driver picked them up. After loading furniture components in Kyiv, he arrived in Odesa and concealed the passengers among the cargo for subsequent illegal transport across the state border.

To avoid breaking the customs seal on the semi-trailer, the men were smuggled into its cargo compartment through the tarp covering. The cost of this service ranged from 10,000 to 14,000 U.S. dollars.

Currently, the driver and an accomplice have been detained. They have been informed that they are suspected of illegally smuggling people across Ukraine’s state border. Law enforcement officers seized their cell phones, the truck, $11,000 in cash, and the woman’s passenger vehicle.

Administrative violation reports were filed against the travelers for attempting to cross the border illegally.

Кирило Бойко