Prosecutors from the Odessa regional prosecutor's office have charged members of a criminal group engaged in illegal sand extraction from a quarry near the village of Bessarabskoye (formerly Tarutino) in the Bolgrad district of Odessa region. The area of the quarry where the illegal extraction took place is 67 hectares.
The accused are charged with the illegal extraction of local minerals and the legalization (money laundering) of property obtained through crime (part 4 of article 240, paragraphs 1,2 of article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The investigation has established that group members, without any permits, using heavy machinery, organized the illegal extraction of sand, which was later sold “legally”.
The criminals sold minerals through trusted buyers and at construction markets, creating the illusion of a fully legitimate business.
The mastermind behind the operation turned out to be a local entrepreneur dealing in construction materials. He involved two acquaintances who operated heavy equipment at the quarry and a driver for transporting the sand.
The illegal activities caused almost 900,000 UAH in damages to the environment.
The criminals were arrested in September 2024 during an illegal extraction operation.
The pre-trial investigation was conducted by the investigators of the Main Department of National Police in Odessa region, with operational support from the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the National Police of Ukraine.
Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a lawful manner.
