Iranian acid was transported from Turkey to Ukraine by ferry

Odesa customs officials blocked the scheme of importing a reagent, which may contain precursors, using forged documents.

Customs officers blocked the scheme of importing almost 42 tons of ABSK reagent, which may contain precursors, Odesa Customs reported.

For example, two trucks with ABSK (linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid – used to obtain components of detergents and cosmetics) arrived at the Orlivka checkpoint from Turkey by ferry.

The drivers declared 190 barrels of acid for customs clearance. In the documents issued by the Romanian customs, Turkey was indicated as the sending country.

During the customs inspection, it turned out that there was another package of shipping documents in the cabin of one of the trucks. According to the transit declaration issued by Turkish customs officials, the batch of ABSK was produced in Iran, and its recipient is another Ukrainian company.

Moreover, the preliminary analysis showed that formaldehyde is present in the composition of ABSK, which may indicate the presence of complex precursors in the substance (these are substances used in the manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances).

Customs officials drew up a report on violation of customs rules on the grounds of Part 1 of Article 483 of the Customs Code of Ukraine.

41.8 tons of ABSK were temporarily withdrawn. Next, they will conduct an examination that will determine whether there are precursors in the composition of the acid.

Previously, USM reported that criminal liability for smuggling of all goods is being introduced in Ukraine. The State Customs Service and BEB will deal with the issue.