In Lviv region, law enforcement uncovered an organised group that, using forged documents, fraudulently obtained UAVs ordered via online platforms. The theft of five drones with a total value of over UAH 1.4 million has been documented.
According to the investigation, in January this year a 37-year-old inmate serving a sentence for fraud in SU “Drohobych Correctional Colony No. 40” organised an illegal scheme to misappropriate unmanned aerial vehicles. He involved four residents of Zhytomyr in it: a 34-year-old co-organiser, a 26-year-old accomplice and two perpetrators aged 59 and 40, allocating roles among all participants.
The organiser searched the OLX website for adverts selling UAVs, including four Mavics and one Autel. He persuaded sellers to send the goods by post without declared value, cash on delivery or insurance payment, allegedly to reduce delivery costs and avoid taxation. As a “guarantee”, he suggested that the parcel be addressed to the seller themselves or their relatives, so that they would feel protected.
Once the goods had been dispatched, the sellers sent the pseudo-buyer a photo or the number of the express consignment note with the full details of the recipient. Having obtained this information, the organiser passed it on to his accomplices, who urgently produced forged temporary identity cards in the name of the stated addressee, but with the perpetrators’ photographs. Funding for the falsification of documents and transportation was provided by the co-organiser and the accomplice.
Using the forged identity cards, the perpetrators arrived at the relevant post offices, posed as the genuine recipients and collected the parcels with the drones before the sellers could change the delivery conditions. The UAVs were then handed over to the co-organiser for sale for cash. The money received was partly used to cover expenses and pay the perpetrators, while the remaining profit was shared between the organiser, the co-organiser and the accomplice.
Under the procedural guidance of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, all those involved have been notified of suspicion. The organiser and co-organiser are charged with organising fraud committed by an organised group (Part 3 of Article 27 – Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), the perpetrators – with fraud committed by an organised group (Part 2 of Article 27 – Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), and the accomplice – with aiding and abetting such fraud (Part 5 of Article 27 – Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
“To fraudulently misappropriate equipment needed for protection and saving lives is a cynical crime. While society is pooling resources to purchase drones, the suspects saw in this only an opportunity for personal enrichment. We urge citizens who have fallen victim to this or similar fraudulent schemes when selling UAVs to contact law enforcement agencies,” said Volodymyr Hrytsyshyn, prosecutor of the department for supervision over compliance with the law by bodies combating organised crime of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigative actions are ongoing to identify other individuals who may have been involved in the unlawful activity, including the production of fictitious documents, as well as additional victims. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Department of the National Police in Lviv region, with operational support provided by the Cybercrime Counteraction Department in Lviv region.
Pursuant to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime until their guilt is proven in the manner prescribed by law and confirmed by a guilty verdict of the court.