10,000 euros for "services": border guards uncover scheme involving illegal border crossings. PHOTOS
A border patrol detained three residents of Kyiv and Vinnytsia regions as they attempted to illegally cross Ukraine’s border with Romania in the area overseen by the Hertsa border unit of the Chernivtsi Border Detachment.
During questioning, officers of the internal and own security unit of the Chernivtsi Border Detachment received information that the men had sought assistance in illegally crossing the border through a Telegram channel, Censor.NET reports.
Details of the scheme
The scheme was set up by a local resident of the border area, who, together with an acquaintance, looked for people willing to cross the border bypassing official checkpoints.
The perpetrators also enlisted an active-duty border service inspector in the illegal operation.
The scheme worked as follows: once clients were found, the organizers handed them over to the border inspector, who, together with a relative, was supposed to take them to the border, outline the route, and show the place and method for bypassing engineering barriers. However, border guards uncovered the illegal operation and detained all participants involved.
Investigators established that the shadow operators charged €10,000 per person for their services.
The key organizers of the illegal scheme have been detained. They have been served notices of suspicion for the criminal offense of illegally transporting persons across Ukraine’s state border and were remanded in custody with the option of bail.
