Illegal Sand Mining in Odesa Region: New Developments
Prosecutors of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office have submitted an indictment to the court against members of an organized crime group involved in the illegal extraction of sand from a deposit near the village of Bessarabskoye (formerly Tarutino) in the Bolgrad district. The area of the quarry where the illegal extraction occurred is 67 hectares.
They are charged with illegal extraction of local minerals and laundering proceeds obtained through criminal means (Part 4 of Article 240, Parts 1 and 2 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The investigation has established that group members operated without any permits, using heavy machinery to organize the illegal extraction of sand, which they then sold as “legal.”
The culprits sold the minerals through trusted buyers and at construction markets, creating the illusion of a completely legitimate business.
The mastermind behind the operation turned out to be a local entrepreneur involved in the trade of construction materials. He enlisted two acquaintances who worked with heavy machinery at the quarry and a driver for transporting the sand.
As a result of their illegal actions, the environment suffered damages amounting to nearly 900,000 UAH.
The criminals were apprehended in September 2024 during the illegal extraction of minerals.
The pre-trial investigation was conducted by detectives of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Odesa region, with operational support from the Special Operations Unit of the National Police of Ukraine.
Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.
