As part of the international special operation "Rubicon" to expose the drug trade, 1,209 searches were conducted, 367 suspects, 42 drug laboratories and 138 warehouses were uncovered, and more than a tonne of finished drugs, 50 cars and approximately a quarter of a million dollars in various currencies were seized, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported on Wednesday, UNN writes.
Details
"A large-scale international special operation, "Rubicon," aimed at eliminating the transnational system of industrial production and sale of drugs and psychotropic substances has been completed," the statement said.
Joint investigative and operational measures by law enforcement agencies of Ukraine, Poland and Moldova have been ongoing since February this year with the participation of Europol.
According to the investigation, the network covered the full cycle of the drug business—from the smuggling of precursors and production of psychotropic substances to their storage, logistics, online distribution and legalization of funds.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, "precursors were smuggled from EU countries to Ukraine and Poland. In clandestine laboratories, they were used to produce α-PVP, amphetamine, mephedrone and other psychotropic substances. The laboratories were set up in rented private houses, dacha cooperatives, garages and abandoned industrial premises."
"Finished drugs were packaged in clandestine warehouses, sent through postal services and distributed by 'dead-drop couriers.' Sales were conducted through more than 130 anonymous platforms in messengers and chatbots. Payments were mainly made in cryptocurrency," the Office of the Prosecutor General noted.
The special operation, as stated, took place in three stages. Law enforcement officers shut down drug laboratories and warehouses, blocked cross-border channels for the supply of precursors, documented more than 100 controlled purchases, and identified senders, administrators of online stores and drug storage locations. At the final stage, the remaining cells of the network were dismantled and its members detained.
Following the three stages in Ukraine:
- 1,209 searches were conducted;
- 367 people were notified of suspicion;
- 42 drug laboratories were dismantled;
- the operation of 138 warehouses containing finished drug products was stopped;
- 56 drug shops were exposed.
"More than a tonne of finished drug products and 22 tonnes of precursors were seized from illegal circulation; according to preliminary estimates, they could have been used to produce more than 4 tonnes of drugs. Also seized were 50 cars, UAH 1.6 million, USD 167,000 and EUR 39,000. The total value of the seized items at 'black market' prices exceeds UAH 540 million," the Office of the Prosecutor General reported.
According to preliminary estimates, the seized drug products and raw materials represent several million potential doses that did not enter illegal circulation.