A 38-year-old Lviv resident who was driving a Renault Trafic is accused of smuggling expensive Apple-branded electronics across the customs border. Prosecutors of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office have sent the indictment in this case to court.
According to the investigation, in mid-January this year the specified vehicle, driven by the accused, arrived in the customs control zone of the Lviv Customs. To avoid declaring the goods and paying customs duties, the man chose the so-called ‘green channel’ to cross the border.
During an inspection of the vehicle, customs officers discovered specially equipped hiding places: three openings in the car’s underbody (two under the driver and passenger seats and one behind the driver). To conceal them, they were covered with metal plates lined with fabric.
The hiding places contained packages with high-end electronics of the Apple brand. These included 501 Iphone smartphones, 211 pairs of headphones and 107 wristwatches of various models. The estimated value of the seized goods, according to the case materials, exceeds 35 million UAH.
The man is charged with smuggling under Part 2 of Article 201-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The pre-trial investigation in the proceedings was conducted by the Territorial Office of the Bureau of Economic Security in Lviv Region, with operational support from officers of the 7th Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and assistance from Lviv Customs officers.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until his or her guilt has been proven in the manner prescribed by law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.