In Odesa region, a scheme for smuggling men abroad under the guise of sailors was uncovered
In the Odesa region, law enforcement officers uncovered a scheme for illegally smuggling conscripted men abroad under the guise of sailors and detained the organizer. According to the National Police of Ukraine, a current border service inspector was involved in organizing the illegal activity. He acted in collusion with representatives of crewing companies and maritime agents.
The suspects prepared forged sailor documents, fictitious employment contracts, and ship roles for conscripted men, allowing them to leave Ukraine on river vessels under the guise of crew members. The cost of the "service" was 7,300 USD. In this way, 147 people left the country.
The scheme was uncovered by operatives of the Strategic Investigations Department in the Odesa region together with regional police investigators and employees of the Internal and Own Security Department "South" of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
According to the investigation, the border guard officer organized the illegal mechanism together with his father — the director of a crewing company — as well as other accomplices, including maritime agents and crewing staff. They produced fake sailor documents, enabling "clients" to leave Ukraine on river vessels under the guise of crew members.
Law enforcement recorded several cases of money transfers. The organizer was detained while receiving another payment — 6,000 USD from a conscripted man who was promised placement on a ship as a motorist and guaranteed unhindered border crossing.
On the day of the detention, 13 searches were conducted at the residences and workplaces of the suspects, as well as in vehicles, offices, and warehouses. Computers, mobile phones, stamps, draft documentation, ship papers, maritime certificates, forged contracts, crew lists, and other evidence of the illegal scheme were seized.
According to operational information, 147 people were illegally smuggled through this channel. Two more conscripted men preparing to use this scheme were also identified.
The organizer has been notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 369-2 and Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The court chose a preventive measure — detention with the right to bail of over 2.6 million UAH.
As previously reported by the Judicial and Legal Newspaper, the police detained two women from Pervomaisk who, according to the investigation, organized a fictitious marriage for 3,000 USD to ensure the departure of a conscripted man outside Ukraine.
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