In Uzhgorod, a resident of Lviv region detained for organizing illegal border crossings
In Uzhgorod, a resident of Lviv region was detained for organizing a channel for illegal border crossing by military-eligible men through the Transcarpathian region. For $18,000, he tried to smuggle two people from Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions into European Union countries. The detainee faces up to 9 years in prison.
Operational Details
According to the Western Regional Department of the State Border Guard Service, the Lviv region resident was actively operating in Zakarpattia, finding interested parties for border crossing through mutual acquaintances or social networks. The smugglers would bring the evaders to the border with the intention of crossing it illegally.
This time, the crossing route was planned through the district of Khust city on the Ukrainian-Romanian section of the border. Passengers were instructed to travel to Uzhgorod by public transport, where they were supposed to be picked up by a car for transportation to the border. The scheme’s organizer was arrested in Uzhgorod, where he was found with a significant amount of cash amounting to $18,000. These funds were intended to finance the border crossing of two individuals from Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
Meanwhile, border guards noticed a Volkswagen on the outskirts of Chertesh village in Khust district, whose driver, upon learning about the organizer’s arrest, dropped off the passengers in the middle of the road and fled, hiding the car in a ditch.
The Lviv region resident may face charges for illegal crossing of the state border of Ukraine committed by an organized group or for profit motives. Sanctions for this offense include 7 to 9 years of imprisonment with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for three years, as well as property confiscation.
