Border guards found a “cigarette caravan” of smugglers worth more than half a million hryvnias
In Chernivtsi region, border guards discovered a group of packagers trying to transport a large batch of tobacco products across the Ukrainian-Romanian border.
The border guards arrived at the right place on time, as they were warned about the smuggling “raid” from the operational staff of the Chernivtsi detachment. During the operation, the border outfit of the Bila Krynytsya branch discovered a group of unknown persons carrying large packages. To apprehend the offenders, border guards fired several warning shots, after which the smugglers abandoned their bags and began to flee.
During the pursuit, three fugitives managed to be detained, one of them dressed in a camouflage uniform for disguise.
In total, smugglers planned to move more than 12.5 thousand packs of cigarettes without excise stamps. According to preliminary estimates, the cost of the seized tobacco, which was later transferred to the National Police, amounted to more than 500 thousand hryvnias.
All offenders were brought to the border unit for prosecution under Article 204-2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure “Illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border of Ukraine” and Art. 185 “Malicious disobedience to a lawful order or demand of a police officer, a member of a public formation for the protection of public order and the state border, a military man”.
State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
