The National Police have announced the dismantling of a drug gang with cells in five regions of Ukraine
Operatives from the National Police’s Internal Security Department, in conjunction with investigators from the Main Investigation Directorate, have reported the dismantling of a criminal gang which, according to the investigation, had organised a network for the manufacture and distribution of narcotic and psychotropic substances on an industrial scale.
According to law enforcement officials, the organisers of the scheme were a 23-year-old woman from the Odesa region, who had previously been suspected of drug-related offences, and a 25-year-old man from Kyiv. Both, according to the investigation, are currently abroad. Investigators believe that they established a hierarchical structure which allowed them to remotely manage the group’s activities, allocate funds and oversee the work of its members.
According to the National Police, the drug networks operated in the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia and Kyiv regions. Members of the group stored and packaged narcotic and psychotropic substances in rented flats and office premises, periodically changing their places of operation. From there, dealers received packages ready for sale.
According to the investigation, buyers were found via the group’s own online shop. Orders were placed via a chatbot on one of the social media platforms, with a choice of delivery and payment methods. The illicit substances were sent by post under false names or handed over via hidden compartments. Payment was received into bank accounts or crypto wallets.
The investigation established that the psychotropic substances were manufactured in a laboratory set up in a rented private house in the Kyiv region. There, mephedrone and PVP salts were produced, after which the finished batches were sent to other regions for packaging and subsequent sale.
According to law enforcement officials, one member of the group managed the online shop and chatbots, created consignment notes and oversaw the delivery of orders.
According to operational intelligence, a single laboratory produced at least 80 kilograms of narcotic and psychotropic substances every month. Law enforcement agencies estimate that their value on the black market exceeds 80 million hryvnias.
During authorised searches, law enforcement officers seized around 30 kilograms and 200 litres of finished narcotics and psychotropic substances, precursors for the manufacture of approximately a further one tonne of prohibited substances, as well as other material evidence.
Following the special operation, nine members of the group were served with notices of suspicion, two of them in absentia. They are charged with establishing and participating in a criminal organisation, as well as the unlawful production, manufacture, acquisition, storage, transport, transfer or sale of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The offences carry a maximum sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The National Police noted that, following expert examinations and further investigative measures, legal charges may also be brought against other members of the drug syndicate. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing under the procedural supervision of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
