In Odesa, the police uncovered a drug cartel with a multi-million turnover

In Odesa, the police uncovered a drug cartel with a multi-million turnover

In Odesa, police uncovered a drug cartel whose members were producing and supplying the particularly dangerous psychotropic substance Alpha-PVP throughout the country and abroad. The criminals made millions of hryvnias from this.

This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine.

Five participants of the cartel were detained, among them a minor girl.

The group consisted of five young individuals: three men and two girls, one of whom was a minor. The men rented a private house in Odesa and set up a drug lab in it, buying special equipment, precursors, and reagents for the production of the particularly dangerous psychotropic substance Alpha-PVP.

The girls helped distribute the "product." For conspiracy, the criminals disguised it in children’s clothes and toys, used "drop-offs" and chatbots, as well as delivery and transport services.

The participants operated in the territory of Odesa, other regions of Ukraine, and even sent psychotropics abroad. Money from clients was credited to their bank accounts and electronic wallets, and then converted into cryptocurrency and cash.

The police documented a number of the criminals’ transactions and stopped the shipment of over 600 parcels containing more than 1,200 doses of the psychotropic, including directly at one of the checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border.

As part of the investigation, sanctioned searches were conducted at the residences of the participants and in the drug lab.

During the operation, law enforcement officers seized over 16 kg of particularly dangerous psychotropic substances in solid and liquid form, more than 3 kg of various narcotics, 250 liters of precursors, packaging material, laboratory equipment, funds in various currencies, and other evidence. The total value of the seized substances, at "black market" prices, is almost 23 million hryvnias. They have been sent for examination.

The police detained the case participants. Based on the collected evidence, they have been notified of suspicion, depending on the committed acts:

– setting up a place for the illegal manufacture of psychotropic substances, committed for profit by a group of persons;

– illegal manufacturing, purchasing, storing of equipment intended for the production of particularly dangerous psychotropic substances, committed by prior agreement by a group of persons;

– illegal purchasing, storing, transporting of precursors with the intent to use them for manufacturing psychotropic substances, in particularly large quantities;

– illegal manufacturing, purchasing, storing with intent to sell, as well as illegal selling of particularly dangerous psychotropic substances in particularly large quantities, committed by a group of persons, repeatedly;

– attempted smuggling of particularly dangerous psychotropic substances in particularly large quantities.

According to the sanctions of Part 2 of Article 317, Part 3 of Article 313, Part 3 of Article 311, Part 3 of Article 307, and Part 3 of Article 305 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the suspects face up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The court has already chosen preventive measures for the men in the form of detention without the right to post bail. The issue of choosing preventive measures for the girls is being decided.

The investigation is currently ongoing under the procedural guidance of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office.