Five men detained in Odesa region while attempting illegal crossing into Transnistria – SBGS. PHOTOS
Border guards detained five men near one of the settlements in the Podilskyi district of Odesa region as they attempted to illegally cross the Transnistrian section of the Ukrainian-Moldovan border.
This was reported by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
The men sought the help of a Telegram channel administrator to illegally cross the border. In exchange for $36,000, he promised to arrange an unimpeded departure to Moldova. As an advance payment, they transferred $16,000 to the intermediary's cryptocurrency wallet. The administrator’s accomplice, who also coordinated the group’s actions remotely, was responsible for transporting the men to the border. He has already been detained.
During searches at the suspect’s residence and in his vehicles, law enforcement officers seized seven mobile phones, three cars, and a pump-action shotgun.
The 42-year-old organiser was served a notice of suspicion under Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal trafficking of persons across the state border of Ukraine). He was taken into custody with the right to be released on bail in excess of UAH 240,000.
Administrative reports were drawn up against five detained men from Odesa, Dnipro and Kyiv regions for attempting to illegally cross the state border (Article 204-1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The cases were sent to court.
