Ukraine was involved in illegal arms supplies to conflict regions
Ukrainian shipowners participated in an international criminal network and transported weapons to conflict-ridden countries in Africa and the Middle East.
This was reported by Europol, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
European law enforcement officers have uncovered the operating scheme of a criminal network consisting of citizens of Ukraine, Spain and Latvia.
“A criminal network consisting of Latvian, Spanish and Ukrainian members illegally transported Russian weapons and explosives on commercial ships from Ukraine, mainly to conflict zones in North Africa and the Middle East, which were subject to international embargo...
Arms dealers transported weapons and heavy weapons, including tanks, across the Mediterranean Sea. The criminal group was well developed and carried out complex criminal activities at the international level,” the report said.
The criminals developed a money laundering scheme in which they invested their “income” in legitimate businesses.
“Profits were sent to tax havens before being sent to countries with lower financial reporting. The assets were then transferred to bank accounts in European countries, mainly Switzerland and the UK. From there, the criminals transferred the money to Spain, where they used it under the guise of legitimate business activities. This scheme allowed them to invest their criminal proceeds in real estate and finance their luxurious lifestyle,” the article notes.
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