SBU officers while executing priority tasks on counteracting corruption in the customs authorities, blocked the corruption mechanism of bribetaking during customs clearance of cars in Odesa region.

The operatives of the special service established that several officials of Odesa Customs of the State Customs Service organized a scheme for extortion of unlawful benefits from citizens for free registration of vehicles, importing from the USA. The cost of "services" of offenders depended directly on the class of the vehicle and amounted from USD 50 to USD 500.

Only at one customs post, the customs officers' average monthly “shadow revenue” comprised from USD 10,000 to USD 15,000.

In the course of the special operation, the law-enforcement officers detained the so-called customs officer-”cashier”, while receiving another part of the illicit monetary gain in the amount of USD 850.  In total, the official demanded USD 1,250 for customs clearance of eleven cars.

At the moment, the issue is being solved regarding servingg to involved person a notice of suspicion of committing a crime pursuant to Part 3 Art. 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In order to identify other group members and episodes of illegal activity the investigative actions are ongoing.

Documentation of customs officer illegal activities was conducted in conjunction with the Prosecutor's Office of Odesa region and the Territorial Administration of the State Bureau of Investigations.