DIBR exposes corruption scheme in Odesa region: border guard organized illegal crossings for soldiers-for-hire
The State Bureau of Investigation revealed a significant operation exposing a criminal scheme that unfolded in the Odessa region.
According to investigators, a border service officer, together with a former colleague, established a vast illicit channel to smuggle men, who are in military reserve duty, outside Ukraine through the unrecognized territory of Transnistria.
The perpetrators devised a scheme to bypass official procedures, involving men in a risk-laden ‘game’ akin to playing football, where participation was sold as a clandestine service.
The fee for this ‘game’ was set at $3,000, which men paid to gain access to the border crossing and receive instructions on how to circumvent checkpoint controls.
In August, law enforcement officers conducted an operation, catching the organizers red-handed during the transaction of payment for the ‘service.’ The suspects face charges of organizing illegal border crossings of Ukrainian citizens.
The court has ordered 60 days of detention with an option to post a bail of over 600,000 hryvnias.
Penalties under this article can reach up to nine years of imprisonment.
Currently, investigations aim to identify all involved parties and military personnel who have already used these illegal services.