Law enforcers exposed a criminal organization of smugglers who illegally extracted and exported amber to the countries of the Middle East
Among the participants of the criminal organization are citizens of Ukraine and foreigners. The attackers set up an illegal scheme for the purchase of amber by large factions and its subsequent smuggling from Rivne region abroad. For foreign buyers, we have developed a special mobile application. Law enforcement officers conducted a large-scale special operation to detain the participants of the organization. As a result of more than 40 simultaneous searches, about 1485 kg of illegally mined amber worth about 30 million hryvnias were seized.
Investigators of the Main Investigative Department of the National Police of Ukraine together with SBU employees and under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office documented and stopped the activities of the criminal organization. It was established that its participants carried out illegal mining of amber, the acquisition of illegally mined precious stones of large factions, the so-called “landscape”, in the northern regions of Rivne region, and its subsequent smuggling abroad, in particular to the countries of the Middle East and the PRC.
The police established that the mentioned criminal organization included citizens of Ukraine and foreigners. Using closed profiles on social networks, they searched for those who want to buy amber, and also conducted auctions online. In the future, amber was sent abroad by smuggling using forged documents.
In addition, the attackers have developed a special software - a mobile application for exchanging information about illegally mined amber. With the help of the application, customers who were abroad could choose fractions of amber based on photos and descriptions, order them, pay cashless and track the delivery route of the order according to an individual code.
Yesterday, June 1, as part of a large-scale joint special operation of law enforcement officers, 46 searches were carried out in the territory of Rivne, Kyiv regions and the city. Kyiv at the addresses of residence of persons involved in criminal proceedings and places of storage of illegally mined amber.
During the searches, more than a ton of illegally mined raw amber, amber - “landscape” and jewelry from illegally mined amber with a total weight of 485 kg, equipment for handicraft processing of stones, money from the sale of stones - 130 thousand US dollars and 30 thousand US dollars were found and seized Euro. Mobile terminals with installed software that were used for the sale of “elite amber”, “rough” records in relation to the volumes of amber sold and customers, motor pumps and fire hoses that were used during the illegal extraction of amber were also seized.
Currently, four members of the criminal organization have been detained in accordance with Art. 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. They are presented with suspicions of committing criminal offenses provided for in Art. 240-1 (Illegal extraction, sale, acquisition, transfer, shipment, transportation, processing of amber) and Art. 255 (Creation, leadership of a criminal community or criminal organization, as well as participation in it) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Attackers can face up to twelve years in prison with confiscation of property.
Communications Department of the National Police of Ukraine
based on the materials of the Main Investigative Department
