The Security Service of Ukraine has stopped the activities of a criminal group that smuggled drugs to the EU and the post-soviet area. The smuggling channel operated during 2020-2021, and the monthly income of "dealers" reached over UAH 100,000.

According to the preliminary investigation, the smuggling was organized by a resident of Dnipropetrovsk region.

He received drugs and psychotropic substances from other regions of Ukraine by mail. The offender then searched for customers via the Internet. Its "target audience" were residents of European and post-soviet countries. Following requests of clients, the involved person divided the wholesale consignments of drugs and psychotropic substances into small portions and sent them by mail.

The range of smugglers included methadone, PVP (one of the types of synthetic psychostimulants), amphetamine and other illicit substances.

During the authorized searches, law enforcement officers seized:

• almost 1 kg of banned substances ready for shipment;
• scales and packaging;
• communications and SIM cards
• money, draft records and other evidence of illegal activities.

As part of the criminal proceedings, SBU investigators served the organizer of the smuggling channel suspicion notice upon smuggling of narcotics, psychotropic substances, their analogues or precursors. The court chose detention as a measure of restraint.

Other persons involved in illegal activities are currently being identified.

The smuggling channel was exposed by officers of the SBU Office in the Dnipropetrovsk region with the assistance of the Kyiv customs of the SFS under the procedural guidance of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor's Office.