In Prykarpattia region, the SBI exposed officials who organized a "business" of men trafficking abroad

In Prykarpattia region, the SBI agents, with the assistance of the National Police's Internal Security Department, exposed a criminal scheme to smuggle men across the border organized by officials of the Ivano-Frankivsk District Administration, Bohorodchany Hospital and a law enforcement officer.

They offered to get to Europe in several ways - one of the avialabe scheme was for men with children. Minors were issued fake disability certificates, and the father, as a "guardian," had the right to take the child abroad for "treatment."

Such services cost an average of 5-6 thousand US dollars per person. Five attempts to illegally cross the border have been documented.

On February 22, the SBI employees conducted searches at the suspects' places of work and residence. During the searches, they found unregistered weapons and ammunition, as well as forms of forged documents for smuggling people across the border, copies of documents of the smuggled persons, and a vehicle used to commit the crimes.

The law enforcement officer was served a notice of suspicion of illegal transportation of persons across the border and illegal handling of weapons (Part 3 Article 332, Part 1 Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 9 years.

Other participants of the criminal scheme are also being served suspicion notices.

The Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Prosecutor's Office is in charge of the case.