Moldovan president says seized truck with ammunition, drug trafficking represent two major problems boosted by war in Ukraine

President Maia Sandu has said that the illegal trafficking of weapons and drugs represented major threats to the country's security, risks that have increased significantly since the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The government is preparing a combat plan. The head of state made statements to this effect, at the end of a meeting of the National Security Council (CNS).

„It's a big problem and we will continue to face it. Having a war at the border, it was evident that arms trafficking would become a major challenge for us”, the Moldovan president said, noting that investigations into the truck with ammunition were ongoing and the people involved must be held accountable.

Maia Sandu also said that the authorities were working on a plan of measures to counter this phenomenon, including modernizing surveillance equipment at the border with Ukraine.

„We need to equip ourselves with high-performance technologies, so that our limited resources can effectively combat this type of crime”, the president emphasized.

The head of state also addressed the issue of drug networks, stating that this is not a new one but had worsened since the onset of the war.

„Drug trafficking is an old problem, but it has intensified on this period. All responsible institutions have the task of conducting a full analysis and coming up with impactful measures”, Sandu said.

Referring to the TUX scheme, the president noted that some individuals are already under investigation and responsibility would be clarified based on the results of the investigations.

At the same timer, Maia Sandu emphasized the importance of strengthening cybersecurity, in order to quickly stop online criminal activities:

„Institutions must be able to halt these schemes immediately, not only after damages are done. The Cyber Security Agency has informed us that there are means to halt these schemes. There are mechanisms that allow stopping the activity of such schemes within half an hour. We will return with more measures, including educating society.”

The head of state called on citizens to be vigilant and not be manipulated by false information, as it „hampers the protection of the population”.







 

The topic of the truck with weapons, drug trafficking and the TUX pyramid was also discussed in parliament during closed-door hearings. Following the hearings, MP Lilian Carp said that the weapons detected at the Moldovan-Romanian border partially originated from Tula, Russian Federation, and an international network is involved in the trafficking. There are also indications that the pieces could be war trophies captured by the Ukrainian army. In this regard, the Moldovan authorities are collaborating with partners of Romania and Ukraine to investigate the case. Carp also said that another person had been detained in this case.

Last week, the Prosecutor General's Office (PG) issued a statement providing details about the route of weapons detected at the Leuseni-Albita customs. The illegal transport was allegedly carried out via smuggling by a trucker who regularly traveled from Ukraine with a freight truck. The institution specifies that, according to the evidence got, there are no indications that the weapons originated from military or strategic depots, such as the Cobasna depot or those of the National Army.

According to the PG, 18 ammunition components, eight complete ammunition elements, a surface-to-air launcher and a Geran 2 drone, composed of several disassembled elements following a shootdown, with shrapnel in detaching areas and the engine dismantled, without pyrotechnic interest elements, have been established as evidence.







 

According to the investigation, the ammunition was transported in several trips, two units at a time, taken from an unidentified depot in Ukraine, from unknown persons. These were covertly introduced into Moldova, from where they were quickly taken over by more accomplices.

The export customs documents were completed for „metal articles”, with Israel as the destination. The individuals responsible for the export customs documents and organizing the transport - the exporter, the customs broker, and the transporter - currently have the status of indicted and have been arrested.