National Police conduct large-scale operation to dismantle drug networks: 66 dealers detained along with ringleader operating across 15 regions. VIDEO+PHOTOS

The police exposed an organised group whose members manufactured and supplied psychotropic substances alpha-PVP, amphetamine and mephedrone to all regions of the country. The police detained 66 dealers led by the organiser.

This was reported by the press service of the National Police, Censor.NET reports.

It is noted that the defendants created an extensive network of drug laboratories and warehouses where they manufactured, packaged and stored prohibited substances.

Every month, the accomplices produced over 700 kg of drugs, which they supplied to "consumers" from different regions of Ukraine. At black market prices, this volume is estimated at over UAH 300 million.

The police said that as a result of investigative actions, 17 drug labs and 15 warehouses with psychotropic products were liquidated.

Officers of the Department for Combating Drug Crimes, together with the Main Directorate of the National Police in Chernihiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Volyn, Mykolaiv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi Kyiv regions and the city of Kyiv, investigators of the National Police in cooperation with the Prosecutor General's Office and the SSU, with the support of special police forces, detained 66 dealers led by the organiser.

The officers seized 118 kg of mephedrone, 160 litres of mephedrone reaction mixtures (80 kg of mephedrone), 156 kg of alpha-PVP, over 30 kg of amphetamine, and 12 tonnes of precursors.

The investigation is ongoing.

Deputy Head of the National Police Andrii Nebytov commented on the large-scale operation to eliminate illegal cells.

"Another large-scale drug mafia structure has been dismantled. This is the result of 6 months of professional and coordinated work of the Department's operatives and regional departments for combating drug-related crimes, as well as other criminal police units, together with investigators and prosecutors," he said, commenting on the operation.

According to him, it was:

A total of 224 searches were conducted*.
More than *300 kg of drugs (118 kg of mephedrone, *156 kg of alpha-PVP, 30 kg of amphetamine, *500 pcs of MDMA pills, 160 litres of mephedrone reaction mixtures and more than *12 tonnes of precursors) were seized.
17 drug laboratories and 15 warehouses were liquidated.
Sixty-six members of the drug syndicate were detained and placed in temporary detention facilities.
Cryptocurrency wallets with money obtained from drug sales were seized.