SBU counterintelligence officers, under the procedural control of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, have stopped the activities of organized groups whose members illegally trafficked people from the so-called “migration risk” countries into Ukraine, the SBU’s press center reported on June 5.
“Several citizens of our state, through specialized Internet resources and personal contacts, received an order and subsequently forged documents required to obtain a visa to enter the country. The forged documents were sent to ‘clients’ by postal services. Payments were made through bank cards issued for figureheads,” reads a report posted on the SBU’s official website on June 5.
According to the SBU, in 2017-2018, criminals managed to “issue” false documents to more than 500 people.
The operatives simultaneously detained in Kyiv and Odesa three persons involved in the organization of illegal business. As a result of the searches conducted in their homes, places of work and vehicles, law enforcement officers seized a large number of forged documents and equipment for their production, blanks of state institutions, banks, commercial entities, stamps and seals of Ukrainian and foreign government agencies, bank cards and blanks, as well as cash. Unregistered firearms, non-lethal weapons, and charges were also seized.
All the detainees were informed of the suspicion in committing a criminal offense under Part 3, Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine). They were placed in custody. The pretrial investigation is underway.
