Conductors hid watches in railroad cars: BES uncovers $10 million smuggling scheme
7 October 2025 14:35
Detectives of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BES), with the operational support of the SBU, exposed an organized group of people involved in smuggling luxury watches from Hong Kong, China and the UAE. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the BES.
Under the procedural supervision of prosecutors from the Prosecutor General’s Office, 11 members of the group were served with a notice of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 201-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – illegal movement of goods across the customs border.
How the scheme worked
The investigation established that from July 2024 to June 2025, members of the organized group systematically transported luxury watches across the customs border of Ukraine concealed from control.
The group consisted of conductors of the Warsaw-Kyiv/Kyiv-Warsaw international train, as well as five employees of Ukrzaliznytsia and owners of a private company.
The goods were hidden in structural cavities of the wagons and delivered to Kyiv, where they were sold in a closed shop for cash, non-cash payments and cryptocurrency.
Seizures and arrests
During the authorized searches of the train, the store and the suspects’ residences, the following items were seized:
- documents and cell phones,
- smuggled goods of well-known brands,
- uSD 800 thousand in cash.
The total value of the seized goods exceeds USD 10 million (over UAH 11 million).
The court imposed a measure of restraint:
- for the organizer – custody with an alternative to bail in the amount of UAH 9 million
- for two accomplices – custody with an alternative to bail in the amount of UAH 908 thousand each
- the rest – day and night house arrest or personal commitment.
Further actions
The court seized the suspects’ property, including cars and a yacht purchased with the proceeds of crime.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, and the BES detectives continue to document the criminal activity of the group and check possible accomplices.
The detected scheme is an example of how organized groups have tried to circumvent customs controls and evade taxes by using international passenger traffic.
