An international drug trafficking ring with a turnover of ₴13 million was dismantled in Zakarpattia
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, in collaboration with foreign partners, carried out a large-scale special operation that resulted in the dismantling of a supply chain for methamphetamine and cocaine to several European countries. As part of the operation, 20 members of a transnational criminal group were arrested.
Operatives from the Anti-Drug Crime Directorate began documenting the drug ring’s activities in April 2025.
The investigation established that the organization had a clear structure and consisted of several separate groups, each operating under the leadership of its own coordinator.
According to law enforcement officials, the first group included a 47-year-old organizer from Uzhhorod and two accomplices aged 27 and 44. They smuggled drugs on intercity buses, hiding them in children’s toys and suitcases containing personal belongings.
The second group, according to investigators, was led by a 53-year-old resident of Mukachevo, whom investigators link to the criminal underworld. Together with two accomplices, he transported drugs across the state border by car, disguising them as household chemicals.
In addition, law enforcement officials are investigating reports of the possible use of drones to transport drugs across the state border.
The investigation also established that the group’s activities were coordinated by six Ukrainian citizens who were abroad.
According to police, those implicated in the case include individuals with criminal records, as well as people who were active in public life—specifically, a blogger, a schoolteacher, and a village council member who had publicly spoken out against illegal drug trafficking.
As a result of an international special operation, 20 members of the group were detained: 8 in Ukraine, 4 in the Czech Republic, and another 8 in Slovakia.
Simultaneously, 113 authorized searches were conducted across the three countries at the residences of the suspects and individuals who may be involved in the network’s activities.
During the investigation, more than 5.5 kilograms of methamphetamine and nearly 300 grams of cocaine, prepared for further distribution, were seized. Law enforcement estimates the black-market value of the seized drugs at approximately 13 million hryvnias.
Currently, all detainees have been notified of the charges against them, and further investigative actions are ongoing.
