In Cherkasy region, the SSU and the National Police have neutralized a criminal group that manufactured heavy psychotropic drugs for sale in several regions of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, residents of Cherkasy region, including a 36-year-old lawyer of a free legal aid centre, are involved in organizing the drug trafficking.

The members of the group decided to make money by selling amphetamine, mephedrone and A-PVP.

They set up two drug labs, which supplied particularly dangerous psychotropics worth almost UAH 5 mln each month.

The production process at the clandestine workshops where the illegal substances were synthesized was set up right in the homes of the syndicate members.

They sold the finished ‘products’ through an extensive network of drug dealers in Odesa and Chernivtsi, as well as in Kyiv and Cherkasy regions.

The traffickers used personal connections in criminal circles to find potential customers and planned to expand their illegal business throughout Ukraine.

The law enforcement detained four active members of the group when they were preparing a new batch of psychotropic drugs for sale.

The items seized during 22 searches include:

• 5 kg of psychotropic substance A-PVP;
• almost 160 liters of precursors;
• equipment for production and packaging;
• mobile phones with evidence of the crime;
• bank cards used to receive payments for the drugs.

Five members of the drug ring have been notified of suspicion under Article 307.3 of the CCU (illegal production, manufacture, purchase, storage, transportation, shipment or sale of psychotropic substances or their analogues, as part of an organized criminal group).

The suspects are in custody and face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. The investigation is ongoing.

The operation was carried out by the SSU Office in Cherkasy region jointly with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.