In Zakarpattia, law enforcement officers exposed a criminal group that had established a channel for the supply and sale of cocaine in Ukraine, disguising the drugs as washing powder. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, according to UNN.
Details
According to the investigation, the scheme was organized by a 27-year-old resident of Zakarpattia Oblast. He involved several accomplices who helped store the narcotics in a warehouse, package them, and prepare them for further sale.
Cocaine was sent by mail to various regions of Ukraine, including Kyiv. The prohibited substance was disguised as ordinary washing powder to complicate its detection during inspections.
Law enforcement officers documented the sale of six pressed briquettes of cocaine, each weighing about one kilogram. The estimated value of the seized goods on the "black market" could reach hundreds of millions of US dollars.
During an attempt to sell another batch of drugs, one of the members of the criminal group was detained, and another was apprehended at his residence in Uzhhorod. Both suspects were caught "red-handed."
During searches of apartments, warehouses, and vehicles, law enforcement officers seized a significant amount of narcotic and psychotropic substances, including cocaine, methamphetamine, and mephedrone. Computer equipment, mobile phones, packaging materials, postal receipts, cash, and black accounting records were also found.
Under the procedural guidance of the Zakarpattia Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Western Region's defense sector, the detainees were notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – illegal storage, transfer, and sale of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in especially large quantities.
Prosecutors have already filed motions with the court to choose pre-trial detention as a preventive measure for the suspects.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the SBU Directorate in Zakarpattia Oblast based on materials from the SBU and National Police units.
Recall
In Poltava Oblast, parents were notified of suspicion for beating and abandoning their two-month-old daughter, who sustained moderate bodily injuries. The child was found in a locked dacha after a neighbor's appeal.