They’re not plumbers, but technicians at an underground workshop: The prosecutor’s office debunked the lawyers’ manipulations in the Biopatid case
The defense team for the suspects in the case involving the mass production and sale of the counterfeit drug “Biopatid” has launched a media campaign on social media, in an attempt to portray them as “innocent victims” in the deliberate manufacture and distribution of a dangerous weight-loss product. On TikTok, attorney Baranovsky is sharing clips from court hearings, claiming that the court set bail in the millions for ordinary “cleaners and plumbers,” leaving their young children unattended.
The Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office called these statements deliberate manipulation and an attempt to mislead the public. According to Prosecutor Andriy Dyachenko, there are no service staff members among the suspects. The man, whom the defense attorney refers to as a “plumber,” actually served as a production technician and provided his mother’s premises for the clandestine production of raw materials. His wife, described by the defense as a “cleaning lady,” managed a group of up to five people and was responsible for storing, packaging, labeling, and shipping the counterfeit products to customers. The investigation files document how this suspect openly mocked buyers of the counterfeit products, calling them “fools.”
“The suspect is not a plumber, but the very same technologist who provided his mother’s premises, where these raw materials were manufactured,” the prosecutor debunks the false claims. “His wife, also a suspect, is not a cleaning lady, as her attorney claims, but was responsible for storing the finished counterfeit products, packaging them, affixing labels, and shipping the products to customers; and she had up to five people working under her. It has been documented that she mocked people who bought ‘Biopatid,’ calling them—in her own words—‘stupid people.’ Regarding the children: they were not left alone; at the request of their detained mother, they were handed over to the person she指定ed. The detained woman also has a biological brother, a mother, and her husband’s mother. The defense attorneys are presenting this in a way that suits them, but that is incorrect. Furthermore, there are no cleaning ladies or plumbers among the suspects.”
Separately, the prosecutor’s office refuted false claims regarding the bail amounts of 85–90 million hryvnias cited by the defense attorney. In fact, the investigating judge imposed pretrial measures with bail ranging from 3.5 to 75 million hryvnias, depending on each suspect’s role and financial status. At the same time, the agency emphasized that if any attempt is made to post these funds, the State Financial Monitoring Service will conduct a rigorous verification of the origin of every hryvnia. Currently, none of the suspects has posted bail, and they remain in custody.
The Special Operation of the Year, Profits in the Millions, and a Trail of Scandals: How It All Began
The scandal surrounding “Biopatid” erupted in September 2026, when law enforcement agencies carried out a special operation on a record scale. On September 12, the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, together with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), simultaneously raided 250 locations across 13 regions of Ukraine: from Kyiv and Dnipro to Odesa, Kharkiv, and Rivne.
Authorities seized equipment from an underground laboratory, tons of packaging materials, stickers, computers, luxury cars, high-end watches, and nearly 15 million hryvnias in cash in various currencies from those involved. According to the investigation, more than 70 people were involved in the illegal business: from organizers to packers, advertising managers, and bloggers recruited for the scheme. In total, law enforcement officials charged 28 participants in the scheme under Part 2 of Article 321-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (counterfeiting of medicinal products), which carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
The scheme was highly profitable. The organizers decided to capitalize on a global trend—the craze surrounding weight-loss products based on tirzepatide (known worldwide under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound). They imported raw materials of unknown origin from China under the guise of “dietary supplements.” The cost of a single dose, including packaging, was approximately $17, while the finished product, “Biopatid,” was sold for up to $1,200. According to investigators’ estimates, since the beginning of 2026 alone, the underground operation has generated over $5 million in net profit.
Who was actually behind this massive underground business with a monthly turnover in the millions of dollars? What cynical details are the organizers hiding, what roles did their “modest” assistants play, and do all participants in the scheme face real punishment? Read about the progress of the investigation, the legal battles, the debunking of the defense’s false claims, and the first victims in an exclusive interview with Andriy Dyachenko, a prosecutor with the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
