Ukrainian law enforcement officers, together with their French colleagues, detained members of the Zalyutynski criminal organization. The gang leader was among the prisoners. This was reported by UNN with reference to the National Police of Ukraine.
Details
Law enforcement officials said that in order to detain the criminals, employees of the Strategic Investigations Department, the Main Investigation Department of the National Police and the French Gendarmerie conducted joint activities in both countries.
In Ukraine, before the full-scale invasion, the gang was "squeezing" businesses from residents of the Kharkiv region. They used threats and violence to force people to sign over their property or shares in businesses to criminals. They created unbearable business conditions for farmers or entrepreneurs, and then offered to solve these problems for a fee.
However, after February 2022, the members of the Zalyutynski criminal organization reoriented their activities outside the country. The men ended up in France, where the group specialized in car theft and property crimes on the Côte d'Azur
The gang members were repeatedly detained by law enforcement for committing various crimes. For example, in one of the episodes, the criminals demanded $700,000 from a farmer and a part of the business was rewritten. In 2021, police detained the gang members in the center of Kharkiv, and the case is now in court. Other members of the Zalyutynskys, against whom investigative actions are ongoing, are outside Ukraine and are on the international wanted list
Law enforcement officers found out that the leader of the criminal organization is in France, where he created a new branch of the group.
Through Europol's channels, law enforcement officers established that the criminal group was involved in a number of crimes in the south of France.
During 2023-2024, the defendants illegally seized cars, set fire to a vehicle, committed assaults on citizens or stole property. The victims include citizens of France and Ukraine.
In France, with the participation of police officers from the Strategic Investigations Department and the Main Investigation Department of the National Police, officers from the Marseille Criminal Investigation Department of the French Gendarmerie detained the group's leader, a 43-year-old Ukrainian citizen, and his 44-year-old accomplice. Earlier, French police detained another member of the Zalyutynski separatist unit immediately after the carjacking
In addition, the police, together with the Prosecutor General's Office, conducted investigative actions against persons involved in the Zalyutynskys' activities in Ukraine. Weapons, drugs, money, cars, draft records, etc. were seized.
Pre-trial restraint in the form of detention has already been imposed on the suspects detained in France. Further joint measures are being taken to analyze the seized property and collect evidence to bring other offenders to justice.
Recall
Ukrainian law enforcement officers dismantled a drug trafficking groupthat disguised cocaine, ecstasy and hashish as cosmetics. The dealers received a monthly income of over a million hryvnias. The seven detainees were served suspicion notices.