The National Police executed a large-scale operation to dismantle a criminal network that laundered millions of hryvnias through the accounts of fictitious individuals. The criminals produced and distributed precursor chemicals for amphetamine in significant quantities. The products were distributed via mail and through 'drops'. Consequently, the goods reached a network of 18 laboratories operating across six regions of the country, producing over 60 kg of amphetamine monthly with profits of up to 18 million hryvnias.

This was reported by the press service of the National Police.

Law enforcement uncovered a criminal organization engaged in the supply of precursors. The leader of the group was responsible for ensuring a continuous supply of raw materials for amphetamine production, while his subordinates packaged several kilograms of the illegal product daily in rented apartments, changing locations every two weeks. They then mailed the precursors to laboratories or used 'drops', utilizing disposable SIM cards that were destroyed immediately after use.

Additionally, investigators identified a separate group of criminals operating in Kyiv that handled the laundering of the illicit profits. They sought out individuals willing to provide their personal information for opening bank accounts in exchange for compensation, creating personal accounts in mobile apps where the millions from illegal precursor sales were funneled. In this way, the suspects enlisted over a thousand fictitious individuals, from whose accounts over 200 million hryvnias were transferred to two deposit cryptocurrency wallets within a year, which were then cashed out in Cyprus.

Over 300 police officers from various regions, including Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa, and the city of Kyiv, were involved in dismantling the drug cartel, with support from the Special Police and the State Border Guard Service.

During the operation, more than a hundred searches were conducted across ten regions and the capital, leading to the seizure of luxury vehicles, over 80 thousand dollars in various currencies, 60 kilograms of cannabis, 7 kg of 'a-PVP', 3.5 kg of amphetamine, 900 units of 'MDMA', a stash of fake bank accounts and SIM cards, among other evidence of criminal activity.

Investigators gathered sufficient evidence and announced suspicions against sixteen individuals linked to the drug cartel. Depending on their level of involvement, they face charges under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• Part 2 of Article 255 (Creation, leadership of a criminal community or organization);
• Part 3 of Article 307 (Illegal production, acquisition, storage, transportation, or sale of narcotic drugs);
• Part 3 of Article 311 (Illegal production, acquisition, storage, transportation, or sale of precursors);
• Part 3 of Article 209 (Legalization (laundering) of property acquired through criminal means)

According to the charges, the suspects face up to 12 years in prison with asset forfeiture.