Second phase of "Rubicon" anti-drug operation: over 400 individuals implicated, 146 suspects identified, drugs worth 70 million hryvnias seized. PHOTOS
As part of the second phase of the ‘Rubicon’ special operation, drugs worth almost 70 million hryvnias on the black market were seized.
This was reported by the National Police, as reported by Censor.NET.
Details
Over 1,000 law enforcement officers were involved in the second phase of the operation: anti-drug units, investigative units, and staff from the main directorates of the National Police in the regions and the city of Kyiv, under the procedural guidance of regional and district prosecutors’ offices. The operations were carried out in cooperation with the Military Law Enforcement Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Chernivtsi Oblast.
The activities of individuals involved in setting up drug laboratories and in organising, managing, and ensuring the operation of a large-scale drug distribution network were documented.
This includes not only the laboratory operators and dealers themselves, but also members of the infrastructure who managed online shops, communication channels, logistics, financial transactions, and other elements of the illicit drug market.
Thanks, in particular, to criminal analysis, OSINT tools, and blockchain intelligence, it was possible to establish links between members of criminal groups, distribution channels, digital traces, financial flows, cryptocurrency transactions, and other key elements of the drug gangs’ activities.
Bukovina
A laboratory producing the psychotropic substance alpha-PVP has been dismantled, and a supply channel delivering the psychotropic substance to ‘clients’ in various regions of the country has been cut off. In total, ‘goods’ worth nearly 44 million hryvnias were seized, and two members of the drug gang were arrested.
Kyiv
A laboratory producing the psychotropic substance amphetamine, which was subsequently sold in the capital, has been dismantled. The organiser has been arrested.
Poltava region
Two organisers of a scheme involving the illegal trafficking of the precursor ‘phenylnitropropene’ have been arrested. During searches, around 14 kilograms of the precursor were seized from them, which could have been used to produce almost 14 kg of amphetamine.
Results
In total, over 400 individuals involved in drug-related activities have been identified, of whom 146 have already been notified of their status as suspects in criminal offences relating to the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
One laboratory producing a-PVP and three producing amphetamine have been dismantled. Nearly 90 kg of narcotic products were seized, comprising: 67 kg of a-PVP; 4 kg of cannabis; 3.6 kg of amphetamine; 1.3 kg of mephedrone; and others. In addition, over 570 litres of precursors were seized.
Online distribution channels for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances were also shut down.
The first phase of the operation
As the Office of the Prosecutor General noted, during the first phase of Operation ‘Rubicon’ in February 2026, a transnational drug trafficking network was uncovered that operated a full cycle of operations – from the supply of precursors from EU countries and industrial production to logistics and distribution in Ukraine, Poland, Georgia and Moldova.
