You're reading: SBU blocks illegal import of jewelry from temporarily occupied Crimea

Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have blocked the illegal import of jewelry from Russia-occupied Crimea to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government.

“Operatives of the special service established that a group of dealers from the peninsula organized the manufacture of jewelry. Then, the culprits sent the goods to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities through the Chonhar checkpoint. Jewelry was sold under the guise of goods produced in mainland Ukraine at shopping and entertainment centers throughout the country without taxes and mandatory contributions paid to the state budget,” the SBU’s press center reported on August 15.

The report notes that during authorized investigative measures taken in Kyiv, law enforcement officers discovered an underground warehouse with jewelry, things and documents ready for sale, which confirmed the illegal activities of the defendants in criminal proceedings.

According to the SBU, the culprits, without paying mandatory contributions to the state budget, sold jewelry for more than Hr 50 million in 2015-2019.

The pretrial investigation is ongoing under Part 1 of Article 212 (tax evasion) and Part 2 of Article 364 (abuse of power or office, which entailed grave consequences) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.