A resident of Bukovina will stand trial for smuggling nearly a metric ton of kratom disguised as tea

The Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment with the court against a 43-year-old resident of the Chernivtsi District on charges of smuggling narcotics on an especially large scale (Part 3 of Article 305 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The investigation established that the suspect, who works in international transportation, organized the delivery to Ukraine of nearly a metric ton of kratom from a country in Southeast Asia via Romania. 

He enlisted two minibus drivers for the transport, presenting the goods to them as “matcha tea,” while he himself accompanied the convoy in his own car. During a customs inspection at the “Porubne–Siret” border crossing on August 11, 2026, customs officers discovered 30 boxes containing 195 packages of green powder with a total weight of 942 kg. An expert analysis confirmed the presence of ground leaves of the plant *Mitragyna speciosa* (kratom), which is classified in Ukraine as a controlled substance. The defendant faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Source: Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

A large-scale smuggling operation involving the narcotic “kratom” from the Czech Republic was uncovered in Ukraine.

As part of the international special operation “Español,” law enforcement officials disrupted drug supply routes from Spain, the United States, and Portugal to Ukraine. The operation was aimed at curbing international drug trafficking and uncovering routes used to smuggle illicit substances into Ukraine.