Car smuggling disguised as humanitarian aid: Based on the ESBU materials, a court in the Lviv region issues a verdict

 A resident of the Ternopil region has been sentenced for illegally importing vehicles under the guise of humanitarian aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and for laundering property obtained through crime. The illegal scheme was uncovered by detectives from the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Lviv region.

The investigation established that the suspect organized a scheme for the illegal import of trucks into Ukraine. Between January and March of this year, he purchased two MAN dump trucks and a DAF tractor-trailer abroad with a total value of over UAH 2.1 million.

To illegally move the vehicles across the customs border, the man hired foreign drivers and used documents containing false data. During customs clearance, the vehicles were declared as humanitarian aid allegedly for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which allowed them to avoid paying customs duties and bypass customs control.

Subsequently, the imported vehicles were never handed over to the military. The cars were sold through an established distribution network. In particular, the suspect sold two dump trucks for 10,000 USD.

The total value of the illegally imported vehicles exceeds UAH 2 million.

Additionally, the detectives established facts of money laundering income obtained from the illegal activity. Using the funds received from selling the cars and auto parts, the suspect purchased other vehicles, which he used for his own business operations.

Within the framework of the criminal proceedings, the seized vehicles will be handed over to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The court found the man guilty of committing criminal offenses under Part 1 of Article 201-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (smuggling of excise goods) and Part 1 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (laundering of property obtained by crime) and passed a guilty verdict.

The man was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property and a one-year ban on engaging in activities related to moving goods, including humanitarian aid, across the customs border of Ukraine. At the same time, he was released from serving his sentence with a probation period of 1 year.

Operational support was provided by officers of the SSU Department in the Lviv region. Procedural guidance was provided by prosecutors from the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office.