Scientology Materials Seized At Ukraine Border

(translated @ WWP) / imk.ua [jan.28.11] ~ Customs officers seized printed materials, audio books, and audio lectures worth in total more than 302,000 UAH during an attempt to illegally move them across the border into Ukraine. The cargo consisted of 78 boxes of printed materials containing religious and philosophical teachings of Scientology and Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. The IMK news agency learned of this from the press service of the State Customs Service of Ukraine.

A Mercedes-Benz cargo van driven by a citizen of the Republic of Belarus arrived at the Novi Yarylovychi customs control checkpoint. According to the documents that were provided for customs clearance, the transport vehicle was for the movement of "furniture and plastic articles". The furniture reached Ukraine from the Republic of Lithuania.

However, during a customs inspection of the cargo, customs officials verified if the rear and side doors of the cargo compartment had been secured by the customs authorities of the Republic of Lithuania. The driver said that, because the hydraulic system for opening the back door was out of order, access to the cargo compartment was only possible through the side doors. On the side doors were cardboard boxes with chairs.

To inspect the other parts of the cargo compartment, customs officials used the "Sova" ["Owl"] video surveillance system. This allowed them to see that, behind the furniture boxes, were white-colored boxes labeled "extended books". In these boxes, CDs and printed books by L. Ron Hubbard were found.

The driver explained that he was transporting the cargo for a fee per an agreement with persons he did not know. He had no shipping documentation for the cargo and there was no clearance of the goods by the customs authorities of the Republic of Lithuania. To make it difficult to access the cargo compartment of the vehicle and to avoid customs control, the persons who arranged the shipment had damaged the hydraulic system for opening the rear door.

Officials concluded that a citizen of the Republic of Belarus was trying to move goods across the customs border of Ukraine and concealing them from customs control using techniques to complicate their detection. The protocol concerning the violation of Article 352 of the Customs Code of Ukraine was invoked and the cargo was seized.

Tip of the bordergate to mnql1.

Glen Frey / Smuggler's Blues