Lutsenko: Five Organizers of Illegal Amber Mining Arrested

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko reported that five participants of a scheme on illegal mining and selling of amber were arrested during Operation ‘Burshtyn’ [Eng: amber], Interfax Ukraine reports.

The criminal group involves officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), prosecutors, Ministry of Internal Affairs officials, members of local and likely also the oblast government, Lutsenko said in Rivne on Monday night, July 4. Oblast Prosecutor Anatoliy Kovalchuk has been dismissed from his position, and Deputy Prosecutor Andriy Borovyk is among the arrested.

"This is only the first step, but this is a serious step. [Today’s arrests] doesn’t mean that illegal mining will stop immediately, but this is a serious blow to an organized crime group in our country," the Prosecutor General said.

According to the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, there is a total of 32 suspects in the amber case.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda