Detectives of the Territorial Department of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) in Volyn Oblast exposed an illegal scheme for importing a large batch of food additives into Ukraine, disguised as humanitarian aid. The value of the cargo is about UAH 58 million. This was reported by UNN with reference to the statement of the BES.
Details
It is noted that, according to the investigation, a resident of Volyn organized the movement of goods through the "Yahodyn" customs post. To avoid paying customs duties, he used documents with false information for customs clearance. Subsequently, the products were planned to be sold in Ukraine as commercial goods.
During the pre-trial investigation, detectives established that the charitable foundation through which the goods were imported was not at its legal address, and its head has been outside Ukraine since 2023. In addition, the Hungarian company, which was listed as a donor of humanitarian aid in the documents, was not operating at the time of the import of food additives.
It is indicated that during the search of the vehicle transporting the contraband goods, detectives seized about 400 items of food additives with a total weight of more than 16 thousand kg. Among the seized items were vitamins, dietary and sports supplements, and amino acids. The seized goods and the property of the suspect were seized.
The Volyn resident was notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 201-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (smuggling of goods). The court chose a preventive measure for him in the form of house arrest. The pre-trial investigation continues.
Recall
In January, law enforcement officers exposed a criminal organization that had been smuggling kratom from the Czech Republic for almost a year and selling it throughout Ukraine, including to military personnel. During the special operation, more than 500 kg of drugs worth more than UAH 5 million were seized, and 6 people were detained.