scheme has been exposed , in which smartphones, tablets and smart watches were systematically imported into Ukraine through the network of online stores "Mobius" (LLC "MOBIUS LTD") and "Flash Drive" (FOP Gadalov Andriy Igorovych). The scheme worked by splitting the batches into hundreds of fictitious postal items and using loopholes in the mail delivery procedure - receiving by SMS code, without checking documents.
Instead of importing large consignments through customs control, the organizers split the goods into dozens and hundreds of shipments. Each parcel was registered as a “small postal item,” indicating generalized descriptions such as “phone” or “smartwatch” in the declarations and understating the value to $40–100 — well below the duty-free limit of 150 euros. On paper, the recipients were fictitious, the addresses nonexistent, and the real value of the equipment was several times higher than the stated value.
The scheme involved the import of smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches from brands that were actually much more expensive, including Poco, Redmi, Lenovo, and Blackview. The products were disguised as “phones” or “watches” to avoid individual identification and customs control.
A key element of the scheme was the procedure for issuing parcels at Ukrposhta, which allowed receiving shipments by SMS code without additional verification of documents and the identity of the recipient. This ensured the recipient's actual anonymity and allowed for a long time to avoid control - parcels could be issued to anyone who had the code, regardless of who was indicated in the documents.
Contraband products were sold at low prices, crowding out legal importers and sellers, undermining fair competition. The state was left without customs and VAT revenues, which led to millions in budget losses. In addition to direct losses, the scheme undermined trust in the electronics market and created risks for consumers (warranty and service, compliance of equipment with standards).
According to available data, the scheme involved online stores "Mobius" (LLC "MOBIUS LTD") and "Flash" (FOP Gadalov Andriy Igorovich). The organizers — named as Daniil Gutovsky and Andriy Gadalov — set up a network of fictitious companies and a "hideout" for processing shipments. The main tools: fictitious recipients, understatement of value in customs/postal declarations, mass splitting of batches, exploitation of the mechanism for issuing parcels via SMS.
The combination of technical vulnerabilities in the postal procedure (lack of recipient identification upon delivery), formal declaration, and mass shredding allowed customs control triggers to be avoided. As a result, the scheme could operate systematically and unnoticed by regulatory authorities for a long time.
