Police dismantle powerful drug network in 19 regions
2 April 2024 12:20
ФОТО
Police have dismantled a powerful drug network in 19 regions and seized 150 million worth of dope. This was announced by the deputy head of the National Police Andriy Nebitov, Komersant ukrainskyi 
reports
Law enforcement officers detained 26 drug dealers, eliminated 5 drug laboratories, and exposed 57 members of separate criminal groups.
“More than 350 law enforcement officers were involved in the special operation, and the technical aspect was an important element of it. Our specialists managed to track the activity of drug groups in the telegram. We targeted the logistics hubs through which all the trade was carried out,”
– Nebitov wrote.
Some “believers” did not hesitate to hide psychotropic drugs in the “Holy Scriptures”.
According to the investigation, for two months, employees of the National Police’s Department for Combating Drug Crimes, together with the territorial departments for combating drug crimes and the criminal unit of the National Police in Dnipro, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Chernivtsi, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Donetsk, Zakarpattia, Poltava, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy regions and the city of Kyiv, documented the illegal activities of the defendants in criminal gangs.
The monthly profit of the offenders from drug sales exceeded UAH 100 million.
The criminals advertised the sale of drugs and psychotropics through dozens of Telegram channels. Using the messenger, the drug dealers received orders and optimised the process of delivering the “goods” to customers through postal services and so-called bookmarks.
As a result of 64 authorised searches across the country, the SBU liquidated 5 drug laboratories, seized over 85 kg of drugs and psychotropics, which is 420,000 single doses worth over UAH 150 million at black market prices, as well as weapons, grenades and ammunition.
The court imposed custody as a measure of restraint on 20 of the defendants, and round-the-clock house arrest on the others.
They face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
