"When I was prosecutor general, leadership of ’Khimprom’ was behind bars": Lutsenko on exposing drug syndicate in 2018

Lutsenko says Khimprom leaders were freed after his tenure

Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yurii Lutsenko said the Khimprom drug syndicate exposed during his tenure had been shut down and its leadership held in custody. However, after the leadership of the prosecutor’s office changed, those involved were released.

He said this during a broadcast hosted by journalist Iryna Romaliiska, Censor.NET reports.

Exposing Khimprom

According to Lutsenko, he learned of the drug syndicate’s existence in the spring of 2018 from Pavlo Demchyna, then first deputy head of the SSU.

"I learned about Khimprom when, in the spring of 2018, the head of the SSU’s K Directorate, Colonel General Pavlo Demchyna, came to me and reported that they (and drug trafficking falls within the SSU’s investigative jurisdiction) had uncovered a drug syndicate operating in Ukraine. I was surprised at the time: ‘Are you making a mountain out of a molehill again to get a medal?’ He said: ‘No, look: a thousand members, many hundreds of thousands of doses distributed throughout the CIS, all the way to Russia’s Far East. They have call centers around Kyiv and other cities.’ That was the first time I had heard that term. Back then, though, it meant something different from what it means today. Call centers were offices that people with drug addictions would call to order drugs, which were left in designated places — dead drops and so on. Demchyna also told me then: ‘Just don’t assign this case to anyone, because they are very influential and ruthless. They cut off fingers for any violations, even those committed by members of their own criminal organization, for example, bringing a personal phone into these offices. They also deal violently with their opponents across Ukraine, and so on,’" the former prosecutor general said.

Arrests and bail set in the millions for the syndicate’s organizers

Lutsenko said law enforcement officers detained around 1,000 members and 20 organizers of the syndicate, seizing weapons, drugs and $10 million in cash.

Later, according to the former prosecutor general, the group’s leader, nicknamed "Mexican" (Yehor Burkin/Levchenko — Ed.), who was in Mexico at the time, ordered that the detainees be released from pre-trial detention, despite bail being set at UAH 100 million.

After intercepting these conversations, law enforcement officers secured increases in bail to UAH 200 million and even more than UAH 300 million, while four key organizers were remanded in custody without bail.

Lutsenko maintains that Khimprom’s entire leadership remained behind bars throughout his tenure.

"For as long as I was prosecutor general, Khimprom’s entire leadership was behind bars. Just a few months after that, they all got out of pre-trial detention, and the only witness in the case was locked up in their place," he said.

According to Lutsenko, the suspects’ pre-trial restrictions were simply not extended.

Resumption of operations and protection within law enforcement agencies

Commenting on the latest recordings released by NABU and SAPO in the "Carthage" case, Lutsenko stressed that the cartel’s operations had not only resumed but had also gained systematic support at the highest level.

"Now, from the picture presented by NABU and SAPO, we can see that all of the cartel’s operations have resumed. Moreover, it is being protected by all three agencies responsible for upholding the law: the Interior Ministry, the SBU’s Department for the Protection of National Statehood and the Prosecutor General’s Office," he said.

NABU's Operation "Carthage"

NABU earlier reported that a senior Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) official was threatening to use a weapon and obstructing a search.
The Bureau subsequently said that NABU and SAPO had exposed a criminal organization that systematically bribed senior SSU, National Police, and prosecution officials to provide "protection" for fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses.
NABU said that the "Carthage" investigation had exposed a criminal organization whose members had arranged systematic bribes to senior law enforcement officials to ensure the unhindered operation of fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses.
It was subsequently reported that anti-corruption authorities had detained General Serhii Duka, first deputy head of the SSU's Department for the Protection of National Statehood.
SSU chief Oleksandr Poklad dismissed two senior Service officials implicated in NABU's investigation under Operation "Carthage." He also suggested that a suspect in the case known as "Mexican" return to Ukraine and surrender to law enforcement.
NABU and SAPO named five suspects in providing cover for illegal businesses. Those implicated include senior Security Service of Ukraine and National Police officials.
The main suspects in the case were remanded in custody without bail on November 5–6.