Police and Security Service Dismantle Drug Trafficking Network
The National Police and the Security Service have successfully dismantled an international drug trafficking network in Ukraine. Following thorough investigative measures, 10 members of a transnational criminal organization that supplied large quantities of cocaine throughout the country were apprehended, along with one associate. Investigations revealed that the perpetrators generated at least 16 million UAH in profits from their illicit activities each month. To ensure their operations' security, the organizers regularly tested their couriers with a lie detector, employing a professional for this purpose.
According to the case materials, the suspects imported cocaine via their foreign partners. The leaders of the group distributed the narcotics through their network of couriers in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. To attract customers, they created specialized Telegram channels where they offered cocaine and negotiated prices and delivery addresses anonymously. Additionally, to cover their tracks, couriers used rented vehicles with fake license plates, changing them regularly. The group was led by local recidivists who had previously served sentences for serious crimes, including drug trafficking, and they established a structured hierarchy within the syndicate using their criminal experience and connections.
During 58 searches, law enforcement seized drugs prepared for distribution and unregistered firearms with ammunition. They also discovered phones, computers, and handwritten notes containing evidence of drug trafficking.
The detainees have been informed of their suspicion in accordance with the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 1, 2 of Article 255 (creation and leadership of a criminal organization and participation therein);
- Part 3 of Article 307 (illegal production, manufacture, acquisition, storage, transportation, or sale of narcotic substances).
There is also a consideration for additional qualification of the suspects' actions regarding illegal handling of weapons and ammunition. The criminals are currently in custody and face up to 12 years in prison with property confiscation. The operations were conducted in cooperation with the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police under the procedural guidance of the Dnipro District Prosecutor's Office in Kyiv.
