A human trafficking ring smuggling men to Slovakia was uncovered in Transcarpathia
In Transcarpathia, border guards uncovered a human smuggling ring operating along the Ukrainian-Slovak border. Law enforcement officers detained two Ukrainian citizens who, according to the investigation, were attempting to facilitate the illegal crossing of a man of draft age.
Operatives from the Chop Border Guard Detachment uncovered the scheme on the outskirts of the village of Onokivtsi in the Uzhhorod district.
There, border guards detained two Ukrainian citizens who, according to preliminary information, were supposed to illegally smuggle a man of draft age across the state border.
According to the organizers’ plan, the border crossing was to take place in the area of responsibility of the “Novoselytsia” Border Guard Unit.
According to law enforcement officials, the organizer of the illegal scheme was a 23-year-old resident of Uzhhorod.
He enlisted a 28-year-old accomplice in the illegal activity. The accomplice was responsible for transporting “clients,” collecting money, and providing instructions on how to behave in the event of an encounter with law enforcement and during the illegal border crossing.
They used social media to recruit people willing to use the smugglers’ services.
The cost of the illegal crossing was $7,000 per person.
While documenting the illegal activity, law enforcement officers observed the transfer of a portion of the funds.
During an emergency search and inspection of the scene, authorities seized an additional $3,200, three cell phones, and a vehicle used in the operation.
The organizer and his accomplice were detained and placed in a temporary detention facility. Both were notified of the charges against them.
By court order, the suspects were placed under a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of 60 days, with the possibility of posting bail.
The investigation into the case is ongoing. Law enforcement officials are establishing all the circumstances surrounding the operation of the human smuggling ring.
This was reported by the State Border Guard Service.
As a reminder, in the Odesa region, law enforcement officers uncovered an organized group that had established a scheme to illegally smuggle men of draft age across Ukraine’s state border. According to the investigation, four residents of Odesa, including two women, were involved in the scheme.
