Court ordered bus driver to pay over one million hryvnias for illegal import of Mounjaro drugs

Court verdict for concealed drug movement

The Uzhhorod City District Court of Zakarpattia Oblast concluded the trial regarding the large-scale illegal import of medical preparations. The driver of a scheduled bus, Roman Volodymyrovych Kryshchyshyn, was found guilty of attempting to covertly move 360 syringe pens across the border. The offender attempted to disguise the expensive injectable substances as ordinary biscuits.

How the smuggling attempt unfolded

Events took place on 21 September 2026 at the "Tisa" checkpoint of the Zakarpattia Customs. A "Plaxton" bus travelling on the Hungary–Ukraine route chose the "red corridor" for customs control. The driver, a Ukrainian citizen and employee of the Kyiv-based LLC "Paulbas", told inspectors that he was carrying only personal belongings and no restricted goods.

However, during the inspection of the cabin, customs officers discovered a stash. Behind the driver's seat, under a mattress for rest, lay four thermal bags. Instead of sweets, they contained factory boxes for "Soft Bakes Chocolate Chip" biscuits, which were densely packed with "Mounjaro KwikPen" syringe pens of various dosages (from 5 mg to 15 mg).

What is Mounjaro and why it was transported illegally

Mounjaro is an injectable medicinal product based on tirzepatide. It was initially developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but due to its effective appetite and body weight reduction, the drug became massively popular for weight loss.

According to current Ukrainian legislation, citizens have the right to import medicines only in quantities of up to 5 packs of each item per person (or with a named prescription). The number of syringe pens found significantly exceeded the permitted limit.

Driver's explanation and loss assessment

In his explanation, Roman Kryshchyshyn claimed that an unknown person had handed him the thermal bags at the station in Budapest for delivery to Uzhhorod. The driver insisted that he did not know about the true contents of the boxes. Meanwhile, the documents provided indicated that the total value of the batch was 39,710.30 euros. At the exchange rate on the day of the border crossing, this amount equated to 2,033,091.91 UAH.

Court decision

The defendant's actions were qualified under Part 1 of Article 483 of the Customs Code of Ukraine — movement of goods across the customs border with concealment from customs control. On 2 November 2026, the court issued a verdict in case No. 308/15043/26.

Considering that the accused is a participant in combat actions, has not previously been held liable, and has a positive character reference from his workplace, the court applied a milder penalty. Kryshchyshyn was sentenced to a fine of 50% of the value of the goods, which amounted to 1,016,545.96 UAH. A court fee was also collected from him.

The court ordered that the batch of syringe pens itself be returned to the owner or their representative after the completion of customs formalities. This decision was justified by the fact that the medicines were not transported in specially made hiding places (concealments), as well as taking into account the principles of proportionality and the requirements of the First Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.