From a smuggling route to military service: ESBU handed over a minibus to the AFU

 The vehicle used for the illegal transportation of electronic cigarettes across the customs border will now serve Ukrainian defenders.

At the initiative of detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Volyn region, a Fiat Ducato seized within criminal proceedings was handed over for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The minibus was received by servicemen of an air defense unit serving in Volyn.

The vehicle was seized during the documentation of an attempt to smuggle excisable goods. It was equipped with specially constructed compartments hidden from customs control. During the search, nearly three thousand disposable electronic cigarettes were discovered there.

Upon the petition of the ESBU, the court ruled to hand over the seized vehicle to the military.

"Property used in unlawful schemes must work for the state. Every such resource can become additional support for the military — as transport, machinery, or equipment necessary for performing combat missions," noted Serhii Zhuravlov, Acting Head of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Volyn region.

The transfer of property seized within criminal proceedings for defense needs has already become a systemic practice for the Territorial Office. Previously, seven cars were imported into Ukraine through smuggling, ten unmanned aerial vehicles were used to move cigarettes across the border, fuel, tobacco products, and timber were handed over for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The investigation into the attempted smuggling of excisable goods is ongoing. It is conducted by detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Volyn region under the procedural guidance of prosecutors of the Volyn Oblast Prosecutor's Office. The proceedings are being investigated under the signs of criminal offenses provided for by Part 1 of Article 201-4 and Part 1 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Operational support is provided by officers of the 6th Border Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.