Leader of the Russian drug cartel "Khimprom" Alexander Shchiptsov stated that he was recruited by an SSU officer

Leader of the Russian drug cartel "Khimprom" Alexander Shchiptsov stated that he was recruited by an SSU officer

The leader of the Russian drug cartel "Khimprom" Alexander Shchiptsov stated that he was recruited by an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine in 2019. This "organization" distributed drugs in Ukraine and had a monthly turnover of tens of millions of dollars.

This was reported by the publication "Patriots of Ukraine".

Journalists report that Shchiptsov met the SSU officer because of his relative Kyrylo Haponenko. The service representative managed to find out what Shchiptsov was doing, and after that, he decided to recruit him. The cartel leader revealed everything he could: work schemes, ways to transport prohibited substances, receiving money, and also surrendered all his "colleagues in the shop". Information about other members of the cartel allowed the SSU officer to detain them and initiate criminal cases.

Shchiptsov also admitted that he and the SSU officer appropriated the money of "Khimprom" drug dealers in the amount of about $16 million. And under the instructions of his relative Kyrylo Haponenko, Shchiptsov’s people practically robbed the cartel of $2.3 million.

After a series of arrests of participants in the drug group, Shchiptsov offered the SSU 50% of the profit, which became a "tribute," journalists noted. For this, the leader of "Khimprom" allegedly received immunity and cover in the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine.

At the same time, after the start of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, everything changed because the SSU officer requalified as a lawyer, and Shchiptsov lost all documents legalizing his stay in Ukraine within a year. The law enforcement officers themselves intensified the investigation of the "Himprom" case, which began back in 2019, so the Russian drug baron is doing everything possible to avoid extradition from Ukraine, the article notes.

Shchiptsov told his "confession" on a video published by the publication "Patriots of Ukraine," but the video itself was removed from YouTube, so it is no longer possible to watch it.

It is reminded that earlier it became known that NABU announced the search for Artem Dovbenko, appearing in the case of the criminal group exposed in the machinations with arrested property transferred to the management of the National Agency for Finding and Managing Assets (ARMA).

At the same time, the investigation suspects that in this case, the same former SSU officer might be involved, who could have facilitated decision-making during the arrest and implementation of ARMA property and organized his own lawyers to participate in the auctions to ensure the minimally necessary number of participants and create competitiveness.