The State Customs Service will confiscate goods and vehicles when trying to smuggle under the guise of humanitarian aid instead of a fine, as it was in peacetime, first deputy head of the department Oleksandr Shutsky said.
“The state customs and the military administration warn: if earlier it was just a protocol on violation of customs rules and a fine, now the goods will be confiscated, and vehicles will also be confiscated,” he said during a press briefing in Zakarpattia region on Thursday.
Shutsky added that the confiscated property would subsequently be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the military administration.
The official specified that since the beginning of the full-scale military aggression of the Russian Federation, there have been few attempts to pass off smuggling as humanitarian aid. Thus, the smugglers tried to carry household chemicals, food, hygiene products, and luxury goods under a simplified procedure without customs payments.
“We see that attempts have begun to cover (commercial deliveries) with public organizations and humanitarian supplies. Therefore, we warn,” he stressed.
