On the territory of 20 regions of Ukraine, the police conducted 128 searches and destroyed 21,000 bushes of cannabis and opium poppy, preventing the production of 4.2 tons of drugs, which could have enriched criminals by 200 million hryvnias. Almost 57 kg of cannabis, equipment, money, and cars were seized.
The special operation by law enforcement was named "Gentlemen". This was reported on Facebook by the Deputy Head of the NPU, Andriy Nebytov.
The investigative actions were carried out on the territory of the Vinnytsia, Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhzhya, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, and Chernivtsi regions. On the website of the National Police of Ukraine, it is reported that the investigation is ongoing.
As Nebytov noted, the results speak for themselves:
– 128 searches in 20 regions;
– 21,000 bushes of cannabis and poppy destroyed;
– 57 kg of cannabis seized;
– 9 detained, 14 already suspected, another 43 participants are expected to be charged following court examinations.
The Department for Combating Drug Crime coordinated the actions, with criminal police, investigators, KORD, PPO, and the prosecutor’s office involved.
"Each of these plants is a potential dose on the streets of our cities. And each one destroyed means fewer ruined lives, less shadow income, and fewer crimes committed under the influence of drugs. To prevent drug crime from flourishing, we destroy it at its roots.
Hiding among fields, swamps, or plantations won’t help. We will find. Neutralize. The operation continues," stated the Deputy Head of the NPU.
Operational measures were carried out as part of the annual operation aimed at combating the illegal cultivation of narcotic plants. The goal of the operation is to detect and eliminate illegal cannabis and opium poppy plantations and prevent the entry of drug raw materials into the "black" market.
As of August 8th, 9 individuals were detained. 14 have already been charged under two articles of the Criminal Code:
– Part 2, 3, Article 307 (illegal production, manufacture, acquisition, storage, transportation, shipment, or sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their analogs);
– Part 2, Article 310 (sowing or growing opium poppy or hemp) .
An additional 43 participants are expected to be charged following court examinations.
Separately, the press service reported on the violations discovered in Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions.
In the Cherkasy region, an organized group of 5 individuals was exposed for cultivating cannabis and producing the narcotic drug cannabis. The accomplices personally delivered the "product" to the capital for further sale. Police discovered and destroyed nearly 7,500 cannabis bushes.
In the Zhytomyr region, law enforcement discovered drug-containing plantings hidden among corn and destroyed over 5,000 such bushes.