A scheme to supply methadone to the Kyiv Remand Centre via postal parcels has been uncovered in the Kyiv region
In the Kyiv region, law enforcement officers have uncovered an organised group which, according to the investigation, was involved in the illegal sale of drugs in Kyiv, the Kyiv region and on the premises of the State Institution ‘Kyiv Remand Centre’.
The investigation established that the scheme was organised by one of the prisoners, who was being held in the remand centre and coordinated the actions of his accomplices both inside and outside the facility. Other detainees and individuals at liberty were involved in the group’s activities.
According to law enforcement officials, the participants in the scheme exploited individuals undergoing substitution maintenance therapy. It has been established that some of them were receiving methadone from several medical facilities simultaneously, after which they passed on part of the drugs to other members of the group for onward sale. The investigation also believes that representatives of certain medical centres facilitated the acquisition of larger quantities of the drug.
The methadone and other controlled substances were subsequently sold in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, and were also smuggled into the remand centre. To conceal them, the drugs were hidden in laundry soap, beetroot and other foodstuffs.
The prepared parcels were sent via postal operators addressed to individuals held at the facility. Upon receipt of the parcels, the prohibited substances were handed over to the organisers for further distribution. According to the investigation, the proceeds from the sale of methadone and cannabis were accumulated by the mother of the ringleader.
Law enforcement officers documented numerous instances of the sale and shipment of narcotic substances, including over 560 drug-containing tablets concealed in foodstuffs and hygiene products. It was also established that each month, members of the group sold between 300 and 800 methadone tablets in Kyiv and the surrounding region.
To dismantle the drug supply network, law enforcement officers carried out 15 authorised searches of the suspects’ homes, workplaces and places of residence.
During the investigations, over 1.65 million hryvnias, 2,194 US dollars and 100 euros, 29 mobile phones, bank cards, computer equipment, data storage devices, tablets of methadone, dimedrol, Sonata and other medicines, medical records, narcotics logbooks, prescription forms, draft notes and other material evidence.
Seven members of the organised group have been served with notices of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Three suspects have been detained.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officers are establishing all the circumstances of the case and identifying other individuals who may be involved in the operation of the drug supply channel to the prison.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.
