Ukraine’s Bureau of Economic Security (BEX) is investigating a large-scale shadow operation that spent four years illegally importing and selling premium electronics nationwide. Operating under the «Monolit» brand, the organized group faces criminal charges filed in October 2025 covering three distinct offenses: large-scale smuggling bypassing customs, tax evasion, and money laundering.
Investigators report the group ran a systematic pipeline for contraband electronics, including Apple iPhones and accessories, DJI drones, Sony gear, and EcoFlow portable power stations. Products were sold outside official distribution channels through the website mnlt com, Telegram channels, and physical pickup points. The store functioned as a classic gray-market wholesale and retail outlet, listing prices in US dollars and accepting pre-orders.
The financial core of the case centers on crypto flows tied to scheme director Kyrylo Pakhomov. Buyers paid via cash, point-of-sale terminals, nominee sole proprietorship (FOP) accounts, or USDT (TRC-20) transfers to a single wallet. Between March 5, 2022, and February 14, 2026, the Tether wallet received 26.85 million USDT—calculated by law enforcement as 1.07 billion Ukrainian hryvnias (UAH).
The operation experienced massive growth during the full-scale war, moving from 106 million UAH in 2022 to 169 million in 2023, 128 million in 2024, and peaking at 599 million UAH in 2025. In contrast, the group leader’s official reported income over nearly two years was just 14.9 million UAH under a data processing and hosting business code. BEX identified the gap between crypto receipts and declared income as untaxed revenue, resulting in an estimated 78.5 million UAH in unpaid personal income tax and military fee.
To verify illicit imports, detectives executed a test purchase of an iPhone 17 Pro through Monolit. Official checks with Apple Ukraine and Asbis Ukraine—the country’s sole authorized importers—confirmed the device’s serial number was never officially declared or cleared through Ukrainian customs.
«The operation relied on shell companies and nominee accounts as a cover, utilizing Lviv storage facilities as a main logistics hub and driving nationwide sales via digital channels without keeping financial records,» case filings detail.
A raid on Poliska Street in Lviv uncovered the network’s hub. Officers seized hundreds of devices spanning from older iPhone 7 models to flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max units, MacBooks, Lenovo laptops, and security equipment. Investigators also discovered 9,600 units of Apple 20W Power Adapters packed into 40 shipping crates—a staple high-volume item for gray-market distribution.
Beyond hardware, law enforcement seized cash in multiple currencies ($28,900 USD, €4,400, and 76,500 UAH), company seals for entity wrappers (including «Flymultitech» LLC and «Airspark» LLC), and six binders containing over 2,000 pages of internal records linking shipping notes directly to Monolit’s management. BEX investigations remain ongoing to identify additional co-conspirators and customs officials involved in the transit scheme.