Timber smuggling: ESBU in Zakarpattia halts illegal timber export

 Detectives of the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau in the Zakarpattia region have thwarted an attempt to illegally export a shipment of timber from Ukraine through the «Tysa» checkpoint on the border with Hungary.

The investigation established that an enterprise planned to export a shipment of pine lumber. To conceal the actual characteristics of the goods and illegally move the timber across the state border of Ukraine, documents containing inaccurate data were submitted to the regulatory authorities for customs clearance.

Specifically, these inaccuracies concerned the quantity, value, and actual volume of the goods.

During the inspection of the vehicle and cargo, ESBU detectives identified discrepancies between the actual characteristics of the lumber and the data specified in the accompanying documents.

As a result of the measures taken, a batch of pine lumber with a total volume of nearly 40 cubic meters was seized. The estimated value of the seized timber is approximately half a million hryvnias.

The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings is being conducted under Article. 201-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (smuggling of timber and valuable tree species).

Currently, efforts are underway to identify the full circle of individuals involved in organizing the illegal export, as well as to determine the origin of the seized timber and potential distribution channels abroad.