Lviv police announced suspicion of members of a criminal group that carried out illegal chopping of wood
Operatives of the Directorate of Strategic Investigations in Lviv region together with the investigators of the regional police stopped the illegal activities of “businessmen”. The organizer and accomplices have been informed of the suspicion. Those involved can face up to seven years in prison.
The 38-year-old head of the state forestry department set up an illegal scheme to chop wood. With more than 5,000 hectares in charge, members of the criminal group carried out illegal felling of wood, in particular pine trees. To hide offenses, false data on the volumes of forest allocated for felling were entered into the documents.
In August 2022, the police stopped the activities of the organized crime group. During the measures, cargo and special equipment were seized, with which the wood was transported to the forest processing facility on the territory of the region.
It was established that losses in the amount of more than 260 thousand hryvnias were caused. The funds were distributed among all members of the group.
On November 21, the head of the farm, his three colleagues and the owner of the forestry facility were declared under Part 3 of Art. 28 Part 2, Part 4 of Art. 246 (illegal chopping or illegal transportation, storage, sale of forest, which caused severe consequences) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to seven years.
The procedural guidance in the pre-trial investigation is carried out by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office.
Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine
