Imported cars under the guise of aid to the military and sold them: ESBU notified three suspects of suspicion

 In Bukovina, three men who imported cars into Ukraine under the guise of humanitarian aid and then sold them for cash were exposed. Detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Chernivtsi region notified all participants of the scheme of suspicion of car smuggling.

The investigation established that the suspects organized a scheme for the illegal import of cars under the guise of humanitarian aid with their subsequent sale. For this purpose, they used a public organization registered in Vinnytsia, on behalf of which they drew up declarations and documents for the preferential import of cars.

One of the suspects, the head of the public organization, coordinated the activities of the group and drew up declarations and documents for the import of cars. Other participants in the scheme were responsible for passing customs control, preparation for sale, and the direct realization of the cars.

The cars were imported through the "Porubne-Siret" checkpoint of the Chernivtsi Customs. In the customs documents, it was indicated that the vehicles were being moved as humanitarian aid for the AFU.

In total, from October 2025 to April 2026, the dealers illegally imported 10 cars through the "Porubne-Siret" checkpoint. In addition, their involvement in the import of over 500 vehicles under this scheme is being verified.

Within the framework of the criminal proceedings, ESBU detectives conducted searches and seized vehicles imported under the guise of humanitarian aid, documents, rough notes, mobile phones, and funds.

The actions of the suspects are qualified under Part 2 of Article 201-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—smuggling of excisable goods, committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons on a large scale.

A preventive measure has been chosen for the suspects—detention in custody with an alternative of posting bail.

Operational support is carried out by employees of the Department of the SSU in the Chernivtsi region.

Procedural guidance – Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office.

According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court verdict.