Illegal amber processors were exposed in Volyn

Illegal amber processors were exposed in Volyn
Katerina Belousova

Prosecutors seized 85 products made of "sun stones" with a total weight of more than 4 kg

In Volyn, prosecutors found an underground amber processing shop, and seized 24 kg of raw amber from its employees.

The shop was discovered as part of a criminal investigation into the illegal acquisition, storage, transportation, processing, and sale of amber, the Volyn Regional Prosecutor's Office reported on Facebook.

The report says that prosecutors conducted searches at the suspects' homes. They also seized amber from them:

  • 85 products made of "sun stones" with a total weight of more than 4 kg;
  • 23 machines for processing no
  • laptop, mobile phones;
  • financial reporting documents and draft records.

"The question of imposing an arrest on the seized goods and material values, the value of which will be determined by an expert opinion," the press service emphasized.

It is noted that prosecutors are currently identifying all persons involved in illegal activities in order to bring them to justice.

In Rivne region, police exposed eight members of the group, including one of the local community members, who had set up illegal mining, processing and sale of amber and seized 200 kg of stones from them. According to preliminary data, the value of the amber is almost UAH 4.5 million.

As EcoPolitic previously reported, in Volyn, environmental inspectors found illegal sand mining in the Dubove community worth over UAH 86.1 million and UAH 23.1 million in the Liublyntsi community.

Related
This week’s round-up of environmental crimes: bribes for tree felling, a billion in granite, and sewage discharged into the Dnipro
This week’s round-up of environmental crimes: bribes for tree felling, a billion in granite, and sewage discharged into the Dnipro

Prosecutors have identified a further seven individuals involved in the illegal extraction of granite, resulting in losses of over 1.5 billion hryvnias

Suspended sentence and a fine: how a forester from Volyn was punished for illegal logging worth millions
Suspended sentence and a fine: how a forester from Volyn was punished for illegal logging worth millions

The man avoided a prison sentence thanks to a plea bargain and favourable character references

The community needs money: a village council chairman in Volyn is suspected of aiding and abetting illegal logging
The community needs money: a village council chairman in Volyn is suspected of aiding and abetting illegal logging

As a result of the official’s actions, over 4,200 trees were felled, causing losses of nearly 3 million hryvnias

Digest of environmental crimes: the fight for nature reserves, millions from mineral resources and pollution
Digest of environmental crimes: the fight for nature reserves, millions from mineral resources and pollution

The former director of one of the branches of ‘Forests of Ukraine’ has been charged with negligence, which led to 226 hectares of state-owned forest becoming ‘Medvedchuk’s holiday home’