Amber smuggling worth almost UAH 11 million: SBI exposed a large-scale scheme with the participation of a state expert

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation have uncovered a scheme for the illegal export of Ukrainian amber abroad. According to the investigation, the organizers replaced cheap imported raw materials with valuable amber of Ukrainian origin, using forged documents. The total value of the exported stones was almost 10.8 million hryvnias.

This was reported by Femida.ua with reference to the State Bureau of Investigation and Economic Truth.

How the smuggling scheme worked

According to law enforcement officers, during April-June 2026, the participants in the scheme exported more than 4.7 tons of amber to one of the Asian countries.

To hide the illegal origin of the precious raw materials, they used the mechanism of substitution of goods during import-export operations.

Initially, cheap amber of the smallest fraction was imported to Ukraine from one of the European Union countries – in fact, amber sand and dust.

At the same time, the accompanying documents indicated that much more valuable amber of large fractions was being imported.

After import, the cheap raw materials were left in Ukraine, and instead, large fractions of Ukrainian amber were sent abroad, which, according to the investigation, was illegally mined.

Thus, the organizers tried to create the appearance of the legal origin of the exported products.

Who organized the illegal business

According to the State Bureau of Investigation, the organizer of the scheme was an entrepreneur from the Rivne region.

He involved his brother and an expert from the State Gemological Center in the implementation of the deal.

The investigation established that the group members prepared forged certificates and accompanying documents in advance, which were used during customs clearance of the goods.

It was these documents that allowed illegally mined Ukrainian amber to be passed off as products that had allegedly been previously legally imported from the European Union.

How much amber was exported abroad

According to law enforcement officials, within three months, this scheme exported:

more than 4.7 tons of amber;
for a total amount of almost 10.8 million hryvnias;
to one of the Asian countries.

Law enforcement officials continue to establish the circumstances of the illegal operations and the role of each participant.

What is the liability for amber smuggling

Illegal movement of goods across the customs border of Ukraine, depending on the circumstances, may have signs of criminal offenses provided for by the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In particular, the legal qualification may relate to smuggling of goods, illegal operations with amber, or forgery of documents.

At the same time, the specific articles of the Criminal Code under which the actions of the participants in this scheme are qualified are not specified in the above SBI report.

The final legal assessment of the actions of the defendants must be provided by the court.

Important: According to the principle of the presumption of innocence, individuals are presumed innocent until their guilt is proven in accordance with the procedure established by law and confirmed by a court verdict of guilty.