An inter-regional gang suspected of selling psychotropic substances via Telegram has been uncovered in the Ternopil region
Law enforcement officers in the Ternopil region have reported the dismantling of an inter-regional organised group suspected of selling narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances via an online shop on the Telegram messaging app.
According to the investigation, the group’s members, who are residents of various regions of Ukraine, were selling psychotropic substances in the Ternopil, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia regions. Orders were taken online, and the goods were delivered by placing ‘stashes’ or sent by post.
Investigators believe that the ringleader set up the Telegram shop, recruited members, assigned roles to them, monitored their activities, identified sales locations and personally arranged the ‘stashes’.
According to law enforcement, the group included four other individuals. One of the female members packaged the psychotropic substances into individual doses and acted as a ‘stash point operator’. The other three, according to the investigation, were also involved in distributing drugs via ‘stashes’.
During the investigation, police documented numerous instances of the sale of the psychotropic substance Alpha PVP.
Working alongside officers from the Security Service of Ukraine, and with the support of KORD special forces and a special police unit, the police carried out nine authorised searches in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv and Vinnytsia regions. During the investigations, mobile phones, bank cards, computer equipment, rough notes and a Mercedes-Benz S500 were seized.
The organiser and one of the participants have been notified that they are suspected of offences under parts two and three of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Three further suspects are charged under part two of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
All five suspects are currently being held in custody as a precautionary measure. For three of them, the court has set bail at 266,240 hryvnias for two individuals and 998,400 hryvnias for the third suspect.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement agencies are identifying other individuals who may be involved in the operation of the distribution network for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The proceedings are being led by the Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for Defence in the Western Region.
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.
