International special operation: police forces from Ukraine, Albania and Kazakhstan have dismantled network of recruitment call centres operated by ’Khimprom’ drug cartel. PHOTOS
A large-scale special operation spanning two continents was carried out by the police forces of three countries – Ukraine, Albania and Kazakhstan. In coordination with Interpol and the DEA (USA), the ‘Khimprom’ network of recruitment call centres was dismantled. In effect, this was the recruitment arm of a transnational drug empire.
This was reported on Facebook by the Deputy Head of the National Police – Head of the Criminal Police, Andrii Nebytov, according to Censor.NET.
How did the "Khimprom" recruitment network operate?
According to him, through these call centres, ‘Khimprom’ recruited staff to facilitate the international drug trade: chemists, drug couriers and dealers. People were lured into a cycle of exploitation from which there was no escape. The criminals exploited the vulnerable situation of citizens: they sought out candidates on the pages of refugee groups on social media. They sent out fake job vacancies en masse, offering easy money for a good life.
"Once inside, employees faced a harsh system of punishments and substantial financial fines. Those who wanted to leave were physically punished and deprived of their liberty," the statement reads.
Results of an international special operation across two continents
As noted, following a year of meticulous work initiated by the National Police of Ukraine’s Department for Combating Drug-Related Crime and the Main Investigation Department, through joint efforts:
- The activities of two recruitment networks, which operated in both Europe and Asia, were definitively dismantled
- Seven individuals have been taken into custody, including a co-organiser and recruiters. Nine people have been charged, two of them in absentia, including the leader of ‘Khimprom’, who is already wanted and is currently in hiding overseas.
- Seventeen people have been detained in Kazakhstan. A further two Ukrainian nationals, who illegally detained call-centre operators and subjected them to violence, are on trial in Albania.
- During the special operation, dozens of active members of ‘Khimprom’ were identified, along with 31 Telegram channels used for drug sales, and drugs were seized.
"The complete dismantling of drug networks sets a significant precedent in modern law enforcement practice, confirming the high level of professionalism of the Ukrainian police, as recognised by our international partners. This operation clearly demonstrates that inter-state partnership, cooperation with Interpol, Europol and the US DEA, and decisive joint action are a decisive force in the fight against global drug crime," emphasised Nebytov.
