A weapons trafficking network operating from the conflict zone has been uncovered in the Khmelnytskyi region
Law enforcement officials have announced that they have disrupted a channel for the illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition from combat zones to peaceful regions of Ukraine. According to the investigation, a 49-year-old resident of the Donetsk region, a former law enforcement officer, was involved in the scheme.
Operatives from the Strategic Investigations Department in Khmelnytskyi region received information that the man was offering firearms and ammunition for sale. To find buyers, he reportedly used his own contacts, whilst storing some of the weapons in a specially equipped hideout.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers documented an incident in which a 2012 model Kalashnikov assault rifle and a magazine loaded with 30 rounds were sold to a resident of the Khmelnytskyi region. The seller received $4,500 for the weapon.
On 10 June, with the support of the KORD special forces unit, seven authorised searches were carried out at the suspect’s places of residence, in outbuildings and in vehicles within the Khmelnytskyi region.
During the investigative operations, another AK-74 assault rifle, an unregistered pistol, magazines, nearly a hundred rounds of ammunition of various calibres, cash in various currencies amounting to the equivalent of nearly 1.7 million hryvnias, mobile phones, documents and three vehicles.
On the basis of the evidence gathered, investigators from the Territorial Office of the State Bureau of Investigations in Khmelnytskyi informed the man that he was suspected under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding the unlawful handling of weapons, ammunition or explosive substances.
The issue of imposing a preventive measure in the form of detention is currently being decided. Law enforcement officers are also establishing the origin of the seized weapons and identifying possible accomplices of the suspect.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing under the procedural supervision of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor’s Office. The penalty under the charged article provides for up to seven years’ imprisonment.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.
