In the Ternopil region, a criminal group was exposed, the members of which appropriated drones that arrived in parcels and were intended for the needs of the defenders of Ukraine. This scheme was discovered thanks to the joint efforts of the Cyber Police and the Prosecutor General's Office, which are investigating the criminal case.
Details of the crime
The perpetrators, as it became known, acted in the following way: after receiving parcels with drones for the military, they repackaged the shipment, filling the empty container with junk that had a similar weight and dimensions. These counterfeit packages were then resold over the Internet at prices well below market prices.
In addition, attackers used controlled drop accounts and crypto wallets to process payments. One of the defendants even registered a FOP to receive payments. In total, the suspects appropriated the contents of 26 shipments, the value of which was about UAH 6 million.
Searches and seizures
National Police investigators and cyber police operatives conducted 14 searches on the territory of Lviv region and Kyiv. During the searches, 15 mobile phones, computer equipment, 25 bank cards, documents and draft records confirming illegal activities were seized. Also, digital assets on the crypto wallets of the participants of the scheme were blocked.
Suspicions and precautions
The suspects in the case were charged with suspicion under Part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for responsibility for misappropriation, waste of property or possession of it through abuse of official position in particularly large amounts. They face up to 12 years in prison with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years and confiscation of property.
So far, the court has chosen preventive measures for the suspects in the form of personal commitment and night house arrests. Investigations are ongoing, and law enforcement officers are working to identify all individuals involved in this criminal scheme.
