In Transcarpathia, smugglers try to get minors involved in cigarette contraband

Yesterday, during a joint patrol of border guards of the department "Solotvyno" of the Mukachevo detachment and Romanian border guards, they prevented an attempt to smuggle a batch of cigarettes. In addition to 6 packages of tobacco products, which were found near the border, the possible offenders involved in the transportation of cigarettes are wanted.

And border guards of the department "Velyky Bychkiv" of the Mukachevo Detachment, while patrolling the coast of the Tisa river, detained three young men who were wearing diving suits, and most likely were watching for border patrols to quietly move contraband tobacco.       

In addition, at a distance of 50 m from the border near the village of Dilove, border patrol stopped an unknown person and found nearby four packages with 1850 packs of cigarettes "Marble". The offender was a minor, and his parents were informed about the detention by phone. During the identification, it was found out that the guy was 14 years old and a resident in Rakhiv district. While checking this area, border guards detained two more persons who, as it turned out, were delivering contraband tobacco to the border along with the young man.

It should be noted that in search of gain, organizers of smuggling completely disregard health or lives of people. This year, two deaths of residents of Transcarpathia during smuggling of cigarettes across the Tisa were recorded  The first case was recorded on February 21. The information about the body of an unknown man in a diving suit found on the bank of the Tisa was received from Romanian border guards. The victim was a resident of the village of Bohdan in Rakhiv district, and had been officially missing since October 2015.

And on April 13, Ukrainian border guards received another report from Romanian colleagues about the body of an unknown man in a diving suit found on the shore. He already has been identified. It is a citizen of Ukraine, a resident of the village of Velyky Bychkiv in Rakhiv district. The fate of this man had been unknown from the beginning of March.

The State Border Guards Service appeals to residents of the border area not to give in to offers of criminals to smuggle cigarettes and not to put your lives and the lives of minors at risk.