A sales assistant and the alleged manager of the U420 chain have been taken into custody in Lviv
This was reported by LVIV.MEDIA, citing rulings by the Halytskyi District Court of Lviv. Certain details regarding the network itself had previously been confirmed by the National Police, the Office of the Prosecutor General and journalists from Bihus.Info.
According to LVIV.MEDIA, one of the suspects is a Lviv resident who worked as a sales assistant at the U420 shop. Investigators accuse him of the unlawful possession with intent to supply and the sale of analogues of particularly dangerous psychotropic substances. The ruling states that in December 2025, at a shop on Brativ Rohatynetsiv Street, he sold a ‘Afgan 1 g’ item for 650 UAH. The investigation considers this product to be a structural analogue of ADB-PINACA – a particularly dangerous psychotropic substance, the circulation of which is prohibited. The court remanded him in custody until 12 June and set bail at 199,680 UAH.
The second suspect is a native of the village of Didyachychi in the Mostyska district. According to the investigation, she coordinated the operations of the U420 and Green State shop networks in Lviv, recruited staff, conducted training sessions, handled advertising, purchased goods and distributed the proceeds from sales. She was also remanded in custody until 12 June. The court set bail at 166,400 UAH, taking into account the fact that the woman has three young children, a mother with a disability and a husband with a disability.
How the case began
The public scandal surrounding U420 began following an investigation by Bihus.Info, published on 23 March. Journalists reported that the chain’s first physical shops appeared in Kyiv in the spring of 2025, and subsequently U420 expanded to dozens of outlets in Kyiv and began to expand into other major cities, including Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odesa. During test purchases at three Kyiv shops, journalists sent the “souvenirs” for analysis to a private laboratory and to the Scientific Research Expert-Criminalistics Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the results of the Ministry of Internal Affairs centre’s analysis, the samples were found to contain a banned psychotropic substance – a synthetic cannabinoid classified as a type of “spice”.
The issue subsequently reached the level of local politics. On 26 March, Suspilne Lviv reported that members of the Lviv City Council had approached law enforcement regarding the U420 network following the publication of the Bihus.Info investigation. The Suspilne report also reiterated the findings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ laboratory analysis and the suggestion that the contents of the “souvenirs” could have been altered to adapt to the Cabinet of Ministers’ current bans.
What is known about the searches on 14 April
On 14 April, the National Police officially announced searches at the U420 chain of shops. The police noted that they were operating under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General as part of proceedings under articles concerning the creation of a criminal organisation, the illegal trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances, and the legalisation of property obtained by criminal means. According to the police, the documentation of the chain’s activities had been ongoing since December 2025.
UP, ZAXID.NET, Ukrinform and LVIV.MEDIA, citing law enforcement sources, reported that investigative operations were carried out in Lviv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro and Chernivtsi. As part of the operation, over 200 searches were conducted at the chain’s premises and at the residences of those involved. Law enforcement officials stated that the shops were selling products containing hazardous chemical compounds disguised as souvenir cigarettes and drinks, and to conceal and launder the proceeds, the organisers used over 56 controlled business entities – so-called ‘front companies’ – which did not actually carry out any real business activity.
What was seized and what are the charges
According to LVIV.MEDIA, during searches of the suspects’ homes, vehicles and the U420, Green State and Mood Shop premises, the following items were seized: mobile phones, laptops, computer systems, bank cards, cash registers, payment terminals, CCTV cameras, rough notes, contracts, delivery notes and promotional materials. Large quantities of goods were also seized – hand-rolled cigarettes, sweets, chocolate, capsules, oils, drinks and other products labelled CBD, Kratea, Canna Be Drink, Kombucha, Rabbit, Sweet Buds and other names. According to the publication, 357,000 UAH in cash was found in just a few of the suspects’ premises and homes. According to
the investigation, the network operated not only in Lviv, but also in Kyiv and across the Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. On 14 April, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported that law enforcement officers had shut down 12 shops belonging to this network in Lviv.
As reported by ThePublic, the large-scale U420 network, whose shops are opening en masse across the country, was selling a particularly dangerous psychotropic substance disguised as souvenirs.
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