At the border, 27 official investigations were conducted, 33 employees of the Volyn and Yahodyn customs offices and the Lviv and Lutsk border detachments were rotated. Four criminal cases were opened against customs officers and border guards, and 8 corruption protocols were drawn up, reported Borys Kondratiuk, head of the USBU [Security Service of Ukraine Directorate] in Volyn Oblast, during a meeting of the "Open Region" media club on September 30. \n \nAccording to him, over 198 trips to the border made by interagency mobile groups, contraband worth UAH 6.3 million was seized, the customs value of payments was increased by UAH 250 million, and customs payments and fees totaling UAH 60 million were additionally assessed. It was possible to shut down channels for the import of cars, buses, and contraband of spare parts and video equipment. In total, over two months this amounted to another 1 million 700 thousand hryvnias. \n \nPositive trends in combating contraband are also evidenced by the dynamics of the USBU's work in the oblast. Whereas since the beginning of the year the USBU opened 15 criminal cases on contraband facts (Article 201 "Contraband"), of which 3 were "Contraband of hard drugs," in the last two months 8 criminal cases were opened. \n \nAn expert-analytical group also operates in the oblast, which has prepared 18 analytical documents on improving work to combat contraband, sent to the center. On their basis, decisions were made to adjust work and develop new mechanisms and methods of fighting contraband.