Cocaine worth 70 million hryvnias seized: SSU uncovers international drug syndicate. PHOTOS
An international smuggling ring trafficking hard drugs from southern Europe into Ukraine has been uncovered, and the group’s activities have been dismantled.
This was reported by the SSU press service, according to Censor.NET.
What is known?
The traffickers were ‘earning’ 15–20 million hryvnias a month.
As part of a special operation in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv regions, 10 members of the drug syndicate were simultaneously detained; they were selling wholesale consignments of cocaine, ecstasy and other psychotropic substances imported from abroad.
"The group’s coordinator within Ukraine turned out to be a resident of the capital. He used specialist forums to recruit ‘workers’ who, in return for monetary reward, sold drugs in various regions of Ukraine.
During the first series of searches, around 2 kg of cocaine, as well as other prohibited substances, were seized from the suspects. Subsequently, over 8 kg of cocaine and other potent substances were found in the suspects’ hiding places. The total value of the seized items is around 70 million hryvnias," the statement reads.
The detainees have now been notified that they are suspected of the illegal production, manufacture, acquisition, storage, transport, transfer or sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues, committed by an organised group.
The suspects are in custody. They face up to 12 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The involvement of three Ukrainian citizens, currently in the Kingdom of Spain, in organising this drug trafficking network has also been documented. The issue of their extradition to Ukraine is currently being resolved.
