A scheme to smuggle a man into Romania in exchange for a bribe was uncovered in Bukovina

In Bukovina, border guards uncovered a group of individuals who had organized the illegal transport of a man from Ukraine to Romania outside of official border crossing points. The organizer priced his services at 8,000 dollars; the client paid half of this amount during the trip to Chernivtsi. Two participants in the scheme were detained, and the whereabouts of the main organizer are currently being determined.

Operational intelligence from officers of the Internal and Internal Security Departments at the Chernivtsi and Mohyliv-Podilskyi border guard detachments helped uncover yet another scheme involving the illegal crossing of the state border.

According to law enforcement officials, a Ukrainian citizen used the internet to search for people willing to illegally enter Romania by bypassing border checkpoints. He found a potential client on a messaging app, where he outlined the terms of the “trip” and explained the next steps.

To carry out the plan, the organizer enlisted two more accomplices. At the appointed time, they met the man and drove him from Vinnytsia Oblast to Chernivtsi Oblast, bypassing checkpoints.

The next step was to transport the client to a location from which he planned to set off on foot toward Romania. He was to be informed of the route for the illegal border crossing directly upon arrival.

However, the participants in the scheme were unable to carry out their plan to the end. The car was stopped by border guards, who detained those involved in organizing the illegal crossing.

During the subsequent investigation, law enforcement officers determined that the organizer had priced his services at 8,000 U.S. dollars.

The client paid half of this amount during the trip to Chernivtsi. The money, cell phones, the vehicle, and other evidence of illegal activity were seized.

Two participants in the scheme were detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. They were notified of their status as suspects under Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—illegal transportation of persons across the state border.

The court ordered the suspects to be held in custody, with the possibility of bail.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officers are continuing efforts to locate the ringleader of the scheme.

The operational activities were conducted jointly with operatives from the Internal and Own Security Division of the 24th Border Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service “South,” representatives of the Internal Security Department of the National Police, and investigators from the Investigative Directorate of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Chernivtsi Oblast. The Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office oversaw the proceedings.

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

In Kamianets-Podilskyi, a 52-year-old resident of Kyiv will stand trial on suspicion of organizing the illegal smuggling of men subject to military service across Ukraine’s state border. He demanded 15,000 euros for his services. The pretrial investigation into the case has been completed, and the indictment has been forwarded to the court.

Earlier, prosecutors from the Korosten District Prosecutor’s Office charged a 33-year-old resident of the Ovruch community in Zhytomyr Oblast with attempting to facilitate the illegal smuggling of individuals across Ukraine’s state border.

In the Rivne region, a high school student smuggled draft dodgers to the Belarusian border for $3,000.

The SBU and the National Police uncovered eight schemes to evade mobilization in various regions.