Legal Actions Against Illegal Gambling Operators in Odesa Region
The Odesa regional prosecutor's office has submitted an indictment to the court against the so-called «criminal overseer of Bessarabia», whose illegal activities were halted this August.
The charges involve the intentional establishment and dissemination of criminal influence and the organization of illegal gambling (part 1 of article 255-1, part 2 of article 203-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The 31-year-old defendant is currently in custody without the possibility of bail, as requested by the prosecutor's office.
Furthermore, four additional individuals have been identified as involved in the organization and conduct of illegal gambling (part 2 of article 203-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). An indictment against them has also been sent to court.
According to the investigation, in 2023, the previous informal leader of the criminal environment in Izmail left the country. He is currently on an international wanted list as a defendant in a case concerning the dissemination of criminal influence, prompting the 31-year-old resident of Izmail to assume his role.
He took on the main responsibilities for accumulating, maintaining, and distributing the «common fund» of the criminal world and monitoring compliance with the unofficial norms of the criminal environment among other members, as well as resolving conflicts between «his own».
The offender acted cautiously: he managed and organized but did not engage directly in the illegal acts.
Over time, his criminal influence spread beyond Izmail to the Izmail and Bolhrad districts.
In September 2024, the informal crime leader involved accomplices and organized a venue for illegal poker games, where participation was allowed only by recommendation from «the insiders». They rented and renovated a facility in Izmail, installed ventilation and power supply, and purchased tables, cards, and chips.
The income from the illegal poker hall was partially distributed among the accomplices, while part of it went into the shadow fund of the criminal world. The establishment could generate as much as 1.2 million UAH in a single night. During searches, they seized equipment, accounting records, 22 thousand USD, 60 thousand UAH, and 5.6 thousand Euros.
Previously, the organizer of the gambling club had also been prosecuted. He is a defendant in other criminal cases involving hooliganism with the use of weapons, intentional bodily harm, robbery with violence, and armed robbery (part 4 of article 296, part 1 of article 122, part 2 of article 186, part 2 of article 187 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The pre-trial investigation in this criminal case was conducted by investigators from the Department of Economic Security in the Odesa region, with operational support from the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine in the Odesa region.
