Moldova exposes network that illegally transported Ukrainians abroad from Odesa region

Moldova uncovers a scheme of men smuggling from Ukraine, photo: Moldovan Border Police

Moldovan border guards have exposed a network that organised the illegal trafficking of men from Ukraine abroad. The scheme had been operating for over a year.

This was reported by the Moldovan Border Police on 15 January.

According to the investigation, the group consisted of three Moldovan citizens and had been operating since 2023. They were looking for clients in Ukraine who wanted to illegally enter the European Union. They were given instructions on how to cross the border bypassing checkpoints. When the Ukrainians ended up in Moldova, they were put up in hotels. The organisers estimated their services at between three and five thousand dollars.

All three members of the group were detained by Moldovan border guards. The car used to transport the fugitives was seized from one of them. They face five to twelve years in prison with a fine and a ban on holding certain positions for three to five years.

As a reminder, border guards detained passengers of an inflatable boat on the Kuchurhanskyi estuary in Odesa region. They were trying to cross the border with Moldova's Transnistria. The organiser of the scheme was a Russian citizen.