Kuznik, Kryvshuk, Marunchak: How the Lviv customs "exposed" their own smuggling schemes

On Friday, February 14, at the checkpoint «Krakivets», customs officers detained an Iveco truck with the license plate number VS5179TM, which attempted to cross the border from Poland as empty.

After inspection, it turned out that the vehicle was fully loaded with high-value goods:
robot vacuums, mobile phones, gaming consoles, branded clothing, and even two motorcycles.
Of course, the driver was found to have documents for all of this, showing a value of $250,000!
I emphasize that he attempted to enter as EMPTY!

After scolding the driver, the Lviv Customs compiled a report on the violation of customs regulations, which they triumphantly reported on social media.

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Now I will tell you about what Andriy Kuznik decided not to inform the public.

The mentioned van is part of an agreed smuggling channel between the 4th department of the SSU and the Lviv Customs.

It was traveling through the «red corridor» (as empty) during the «working» shift of Oleh Kryvshuk at the «Krakivets» checkpoint, which is included in a published list of shifts that are «allowed».

Kryvshuk, as the shift supervisor, entered the agreed smuggling shifts through his old acquaintance from Volyn, Stepan Marunchak.

Previously, Marunchak was the head of smuggling at the Volyn Customs, and has now moved to the same 4th department of the SSU, which oversees the customs.

Thus, Kryvshuk’s shift operates under Marunchak’s patronage, which is why «empty» vans and trucks pass through like hot cakes.
But why was the Iveco VS5179TM detained then?

Simple greed of the smugglers

The corridor at customs always operates on the scheme «goods - tariff».
You say what you will transport, you are quoted a tariff (5-10% of the value), and you transport a full van as empty.

Cheating is not allowed. Cheat — experience problems.
So declaring that you are transporting branded bags for $150,000 but bringing in iPhones for $500,000 can happen once.
Further, if caught — will be punished.
Smugglers and customs officers with security forces, though «thieves», are people of honor and word. This is what sustains them.

What the truck VS5179TM declared — is unknown, but when it was opened at the border, it was discovered that the goods in the «empty» van did not match the declared items.
This was reported to the customs head Kuznik, who ordered the detention of the van and confiscation of the goods.
And to do this publicly, so everyone sees how bad it is to lie.

But there is a little issue with Kuznik’s actions.
Compiling an administrative report on the driver, the customs head perhaps forgot that from July 1, 2024, in Ukraine, commodity smuggling is criminalized, obligating him to report to the BFE and start criminal proceedings upon detection of such a van.

According to the law, criminal liability arises if the value of the goods exceeds five thousand untaxed minimum incomes of citizens.
This is currently around 7.3 million UAH.
And the value of the goods in the truck is over 10 million UAH, so a report to the BFE is mandatory.
But there isn’t one.

Why? Because the first step of the investigation will be gathering information at customs: how many times has Iveco VS5179TM crossed the border as empty on entry?
It will reveal dozens of times in recent months, and all during Kryvshuk’s shift.
Then an international request to Poland will be sent, and the BFE will receive information that this truck is not traveling empty at all but full of «valuable» goods.
Further, all empty trucks on entry can be checked and the same result will be obtained.

Here the stars will align into a constellation of questions not only to the shift supervisor but also to the customs head Kuznik.

That’s why the decision was made to restrict to an administrative report on the violation of customs regulations and a post on social media.

But I think that now this truck and the scheme of empty vans will interest many.