The Ukrainian Security Service prevented the smuggling of a large batch of heroin to the EU countries. As a result of a special operation, the SBU documented the illegal activities of a transnational organized criminal group consisting of Turkish citizens.
This was reported by the SBU press-service.
Heroin was smuggled to Ukraine on a ship that arrived at the Odesa Commercial Sea Port in December 2020. The narcotics were hidden in a food container. SBU officers decided to monitor the supply of heroin in order to expose and document the unlawful activities of all members of the criminal group. During the searches, the law enforcement officers found 1,035 kilos of the substance prepared for shipment. The rapid drug tests showed that it was heroin. The “black market” cost of the seized narcotics tops UAH 2,3 billion (USD 80,766,770). Also, the SBU officers are currently conducting searches of the smugglers’ temporary homes.
As a result of the operation, three foreigners were detained in the city of Lviv while packing narcotics in rented warehouses, in accordance with the Art. 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. Allegedly, the drug traffickers planned to smuggle heroin to the EU under the guise of diplomatic cargo. On the same day, the SBU detained the organizer of the criminal group, a citizen of Turkey, in the regional center.
SBU has already initiated the criminal proceedings upon the fact of smuggling of narcotic and psychotropic drugs, its analogs or precursors. The investigation is ongoing to identify and prosecute all those involved in illegal activity. The issue of serving the detainees' suspicion notices is being resolved.
According to ‘Apostrophe’, on December 19, another smuggling in the city of Odesa was prevented by SBU. During the investigation, law enforcement officers exposed 46 kilos of cocaine in briquettes (net weight) which were hidden in containers with fruits. The cost of seized drugs is almost USD 12 m on the black market.