The SBI stopped the activity of an international cocaine supply channel to Ukraine

The employees of the State Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, exposed and stopped the activity of a transnational cocaine supply channel from European countries to Ukraine.

During the special operation, it was established that that the drug trafficking was organized by an international criminal group consisting of citizens of Ukraine, Armenia, the Czech Republic and Germany. The members of the group had a clear division of roles, acted conspiratorially, and used several levels of logistics to deliver drugs.

The organizer of the group had previously served a sentence in the U.S. for committing similar crimes. After returning to Ukraine, he resumed his illegal activities, recruiting accomplices abroad. One of them resided permanently in Germany and coordinated the regular supply of narcotic drugs from EU countries. Another suspect, together with his father, was responsible for receiving, storing, and distributing prohibited substances in Ukraine, maintaining contacts with wholesale buyers.

At the initial stage, the perpetrators used inconspicuous methods to transport small quantities of narcotic drugs, employed specially selected couriers who concealed the narcotic drugs in their bodies. These deliveries took place on the regular basis and served to verify channels and routes.

At the same time, the group was working on significantly expanding of the scale of narcotic drug trafficking. Therefor, the suspects negotiated the establishment of alternative delivery channels, in particular by using maritime logistics and container shipping via the port infrastructure of Odesa. They paid particular attention to the possibility of «guaranteed» passage through customs and border controls.

According to the investigation, they planned to import cocaine into Ukraine in batches of up to 2 kilograms per week. The cost of one such shipment on the black market exceeded 200,000 USD.

The evidence of attempts to involve individual customs and border control officials into illegal activities have also been documented. The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the possible involvement of officials in this scheme.

The employees of the SBI detained an international drug trafficking organizer in Odesa. He has been served a notification of suspicion of illegal transportation and sale of drugs (Part 3 of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The issue of choosing a preventive measure for him is currently being decided.

The article provides for punishment for up to 12 years of imprisonment.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement agencies are identifying all persons involved in the operation of the international criminal network, including co-organizers who are outside Ukraine.

The procedural guidance is provided by the Odesa Specialized Prosecutor's Office for the Southern Region.