Smuggling of electronics worth over UAH 35 million in a car’s underbody: Lviv region ESBU notified a suspect of suspicion

 Electronics of a well-known global brand worth over UAH 35 million were attempted to be imported into Ukraine by hiding them from customs control. Detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Lviv region exposed the unlawful scheme and notified a man involved in the smuggling of goods of suspicion.

The investigation established that the suspect attempted to import a commercial batch of equipment into the territory of Ukraine, hiding it from customs control. For this purpose, a special concealment place was equipped in the vehicle within the structural cavities of the car's underbody.

During the vehicle inspection, detectives discovered a concealed shipment of electronics from a well-known brand—501 mobile phones, 211 headphones, and 107 smartwatches. All items were in their factory packaging and showed no signs of use. In total, 819 units of electronics were seized.

The value of the seized goods exceeds UAH 35 million.

Currently, the individual involved has been notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 201-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (smuggling of goods committed by moving them across the customs border of Ukraine with concealment from customs control on a large scale).

Such schemes cause significant losses to the state due to the non-payment of customs duties and taxes and also create advantages for shadow imports over legal suppliers operating within the legal framework.

The pretrial investigation is ongoing. ESBU detectives are identifying all individuals involved in organizing the channel for the illegal movement of electronics across the customs border of Ukraine.

Procedural guidance is provided by prosecutors of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office. Operational support was provided by personnel from the 7th Border Guard Detachment.