Prosecutors from the Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office have submitted an indictment to the court concerning members of an organized crime group engaged in illegal sand extraction near the village of Bessarabskie in the Bolgrad district. The area of the quarry where this illegal activity took place is 67 hectares.

They are charged with illegal extraction of local mineral resources and laundering of proceeds from criminal activity (Part 4 of Article 240, Parts 1 and 2 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The investigation revealed that the group members, lacking any permit documents, used heavy machinery to illegally extract sand, which they later sold as a 'legal' product.

The criminals sold the minerals through trusted buyers and at construction markets, creating an illusion of a completely legal business.

The mastermind behind the operation turned out to be a local entrepreneur involved in the trade of construction materials. He recruited two acquaintances who operated the machinery at the quarry and a driver for transporting the sand.

As a result of the illegal actions of the accused, nearly 900,000 hryvnias in damage was inflicted on the environment.

The criminals were apprehended in September 2024 during the illegal extraction of minerals.

The pre-trial investigation was conducted by investigators from the Main Investigation Department of the National Police in the Odessa region, with operational support from the Odessa region's Crime Investigation Department.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.