The National Police of Ukraine successfully carried out a large-scale operation to dismantle a criminal group that was legalizing millions in drug profits through the accounts of fictitious individuals. The gang produced and distributed precursors for amphetamine on an industrial scale, supplying their product via postal shipments and "master caches." Based on 18 drug labs in six regions of the country, over 60 kg of amphetamine was produced monthly, generating profits of up to 18 million hryvnias.
This was reported by the press service of the National Police.
The law enforcement agencies uncovered this criminal organization that was handling the distribution of precursors. The group leader was responsible for ensuring a continuous supply of raw materials for amphetamine production. His subordinates packaged several kilograms of illegal substances daily in rented apartments, changing locations every two weeks. They then sent the precursors to drug labs through the mail or via "drops," using disposable SIM cards that were destroyed immediately after sending.
Additionally, law enforcement identified another group of criminals operating in Kyiv that facilitated the laundering of the illicit profits. They sought out individuals willing to provide their personal details to open bank accounts for a reward, allowing them to create personal accounts in mobile applications where millions in illegal precursor sales would be deposited. Consequently, these individuals recruited over a thousand fictitious persons, from whose accounts more than 200 million hryvnias were laundered to two deposit cryptocurrency wallets, later cashed out in Cyprus.
To dismantle the drug cartel, over 300 police officers from Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa regions, and Kyiv city participated, with the support of the Special Police Forces and the State Border Guard Service.
During the operation, over a hundred searches were conducted across ten regions and the capital, resulting in the discovery and seizure of luxury vehicles, over $80,000 in various currencies, 60 kg of cannabis, 7 kg of "a-PVP," 3.5 kg of amphetamine, 900 units of "MDMA," a batch of fictitious bank accounts and SIM cards, along with other evidence of criminal activity.
Investigators gathered sufficient evidence to announce suspicion against sixteen members of the drug cartel. Depending on their level of involvement, they face charges under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 2 of Article 255 (Creation, leadership of a criminal community or organization, and participation therein);
- Part 3 of Article 307 (Illegal production, manufacture, acquisition, storage, transportation, forwarding, or sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their analogs);
- Part 3 of Article 311 (Illegal production, manufacture, acquisition, storage, transportation, or forwarding of precursors);
- Part 3 of Article 209 (Legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means)
According to the charges, the defendants face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
