Men were concealed among furniture: an Odesa woman and a foreign national to stand trial for smuggling people across the border

In Odesa region, the case against a woman from Odesa and a foreign national, both aged 57, has been sent to court. They are accused of illegally smuggling people across the state border for financial gain. The Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa region announced the completion of the investigation on od.npu.gov.ua.

The attempted border crossing was discovered in the summer of 2026. At one of the checkpoints, border guards and customs officers stopped a truck carrying furniture components from Kyiv region to Chișinău. Among the furniture in the trailer were 10 men aged between 24 and 46.

The truck was driven by the foreign national, who is a suspect in the case. During a search, officers seized his phone, the truck, and $11,000.

According to investigators, the driver was acting with a woman from Odesa and one other accomplice. They found people seeking to leave the country illegally through messaging apps. The cost of being smuggled across the border ranged from $10,000 to $14,000 per person.

Investigators describe the alleged division of roles as follows:

• The Odesa resident met the men in the city, gave them instructions, and drove them to a location outside the city.
• The foreign national waited for them there in a truck whose trailer was to be used to take them across the border.

Police detained the woman and the driver. The court ordered both held in pretrial detention, with the option of posting bail. They exercised that right and were released on bail. The suspects’ property has been seized.

They face up to 9 years in prison, confiscation of property, and a ban on holding certain positions for up to 3 years.

We previously reported:

• A €10,000 car hideout: a smuggling scheme uncovered in Mykolaiv
• Pillows, toys, and the border: a creative ride for draft dodgers ends in charges
• VIP exports in containers: Odesa man sold smuggling services for conscripts for millions
• Not grain but people: border guards find 41 passengers in a truck in Odesa region
• Long-haul truck driver from Mykolaiv region detained for illegally transporting people across the border