A case involving the smuggling of men under the guise of furniture has been referred to court in Odesa

Law enforcement officials have concluded their investigation into a woman from Odesa and a foreign national who attempted to smuggle 10 men subject to military conscription out of the country. The case has been referred to court.

This was reported by the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Odesa region. 

Those accused of organizing the scheme face up to nine years in prison with confiscation of property.

The alleged criminal scheme was uncovered in the summer of 2026. Officers from the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Border Guard Detachment and the Odesa Customs Office stopped a truck at a checkpoint that was transporting furniture components from the Kyiv region to Moldova. During an inspection of the trailer, law enforcement officers discovered 10 men of draft age—ranging from 24 to 46 years old—among the cargo.

The investigation revealed that a 57-year-old woman from Odesa and a 57-year-old driver, who turned out to be a Moldovan citizen, were seeking “clients” through popular messaging apps. The Ukrainian woman sought out 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.

According to investigators, after loading furniture components in Kyiv, the Moldovan citizen arrived in Odesa and concealed the clients among the cargo for subsequent illegal transport across the state border.

The cost of the illegal border-crossing services ranged from $10,000 to $14,000 per person. 

During the arrests and searches, $11,000 was seized from the suspects, along with cell phones and vehicles. At the request of investigators, the property was seized.

Юлія Калабайда