Large-scale kratom drug business disguised as matcha tea uncovered in Zaporizhzhia
Kyiv • UNN
Police seized 1100 kg of drugs that Kyiv residents were selling via Telegram and mail. The organizer has been detained and faces charges for distribution.
In Zaporizhzhia, law enforcement officers exposed an organized group that supplied the narcotic substance kratom under the guise of matcha tea. During the special operation, over a ton of the prohibited substance worth more than 10 million hryvnias was seized. This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine, writes UNN.
Operatives of the anti-drug crime department of the National Police in Zaporizhzhia region, together with the Department for Combating Drug Crime of the National Police of Ukraine and investigators of the Zaporizhzhia district police department, exposed a group of individuals involved in the illegal circulation of the narcotic substance - kratom
As part of the pre-trial investigation, law enforcement officers established that the scheme's organizer is a 40-year-old resident of Kyiv. He established the supply of wholesale batches of "Mitragyna speciosa" (kratom), ensured their storage, packaging, and subsequent sale in Ukraine. The suspect was also responsible for operating a Telegram channel through which orders were received, volumes were agreed upon, and the narcotic substance was sent by postal services to various regions of the state.
He involved three more people in the illegal activity. The 38-year-old co-organizer was responsible for packaging and disguising the narcotic substance as legal products. A 45-year-old resident of the capital administered online orders, and a 29-year-old Kyiv resident performed the functions of a packer.
The perpetrators acted with adherence to conspiracy measures. For storing and packaging wholesale batches (from 500 kg and more), they used a rented non-residential premises of a large area. Subsequently, kratom, disguised as legal goods, was sold through logistics companies, and also supplied to individual stores, including in Zaporizhzhia.
On March 16, operatives and investigators, with the силової підтримки of the KORD special unit and under the procedural guidance of the Dnipro District Prosecutor's Office of Zaporizhzhia, conducted three sanctioned and two urgent searches at the places of residence of the suspects, their activities, and in vehicles.
As a result of the investigative actions, over 1100 kg of kratom, a car, eight mobile phones, electronic scales, a laptop, a vacuum sealer, packaging materials, documentation, and draft records were seized. The estimated value of the seized items at "black market" prices is over 10.5 million hryvnias.
All seized items have been sent for expert examination.
The organizer of the criminal group was detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. Investigators have already notified him of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 307 (Illegal production, manufacture, acquisition, storage, transportation, sending or sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Currently, the issue of choosing a preventive measure for the suspect is being decided, as well as notifying other members of the group of suspicion.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Police are identifying other individuals involved in the illegal circulation of narcotic drugs, as well as additional episodes of illegal activity.