Law enforcement officials have uncovered a large-scale illegal amber mining operation in the Rivne region
Law enforcement officials successfully uncovered and shut down a large-scale scheme of illegal amber mining that had been operating in the Rivne region under the guise of official geological exploration.
The land users held permits to conduct exploratory work in forested areas, but instead organized illegal commercial mining operations.
The organizers of the illegal operation completely disregarded the approved project documentation and used homemade motor pumps instead of drilling pits.
The process of extracting the precious stone involved the destructive technology of soil hydro-washing. Powerful jets of water were directed under high pressure directly into the forest areas, allowing amber to be quickly brought to the surface.
This barbaric approach led to an environmental disaster over a large area.
“It has been preliminarily established that as a result of illegal amber mining, the fertile soil layer and over 700 trees of various species were completely destroyed across an area of approximately 50 hectares. Law enforcement agencies are currently identifying all individuals involved in organizing and operating the scheme,” the National Police statement reads.
Police separately emphasize the catastrophic consequences of using such a method for the natural environment.
“Under this method, powerful jets of water were used to wash away the amber-bearing layer of soil, the so-called ‘blue earth,’ after which the stones could be extracted from the surface. This method of extraction is considered one of the most destructive to the environment, as it leads to the complete destruction of the fertile soil layer, damage to forest plantations, and changes to the natural terrain," the police explained.
So-called “buyers” played a key role in the criminal infrastructure, purchasing stones without any documentation for their subsequent illegal export abroad.
During the investigation, detectives also uncovered evidence of systematic underreporting of actual extraction volumes in financial records.
This allowed the dealers to evade mandatory payments for subsoil use, resulting in significant losses to the state budget.
To dismantle the criminal network, on June 9, law enforcement officers conducted 47 authorized searches at the residences and business locations of those involved in the case.
This was reported by representatives of the National Police of Ukraine, who carried out a large-scale special operation and documented the colossal damage inflicted on the region’s environment.
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