Cigarette smuggling to Romania by drone: ESBU in Bukovyna exposes smugglers' scheme

 Detectives of the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in the Chernivtsi region have shut down a scheme for the illegal movement of cigarettes without excise tax stamps across the border.

It was established that residents of the border area attempted to illegally transport counterfeit tobacco products to Romania. To achieve this, they used homemade drones purchased from unidentified "engineers" in Zakarpattia.

The launches were carried out at night from a private plot of land in a border village. A special catapult was used for this purpose.

The drones are capable of traveling up to 25 km and dropping the cargo at a designated location. They were operated remotely. In a single night, the perpetrators managed to transport up to 12 cases of cigarettes.

During the inspection of the scene, detectives seized 34 packages of cigarettes without excise tax stamps, 2 unmanned aerial vehicles, and a launcher.

The estimated value of the seized tobacco products exceeds UAH 1 million.

The pre-trial investigation under Part 1 of the Art. 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal manufacture, storage, transportation for the purpose of sale, and sale of excise goods) is currently ongoing. The full circle of individuals involved in the illegal activity is being established.

Operational support is provided by the staff of the 31st Border Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service. Procedural guidance is provided by the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office.