SBI busts intl cocaine supply channel to Ukraine, detains organizer in Odesa

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), with the assistance of the State Border Service of Ukraine, have stopped the activities of a transnational cocaine supply channel from EU countries to the territory of Ukraine.

"The international drug trafficking was organized by a group of citizens of Ukraine, Armenia, the Czech Republic and Germany. The group acted in a conspiratorial manner," the SBI reported in a Telegram channel on Friday.

According to the agency, the organizer previously served a sentence in the US for drug crimes, and after returning to Ukraine, he resumed his activities and attracted accomplices in the EU.

The Bureau specifies that the drugs were initially transported in small batches via couriers, and large-scale deliveries were prepared in parallel, in particular using sea logistics through Odesa.

"Cocaine was planned to be imported up to 2 kilograms per week. The cost of one such batch on the illegal market exceeded $200,000," the Bureau said.

According to the report, the organizer of the group was detained by SBI officers in Odesa, he was informed of the suspicion.

Procedural management - Odesa Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Field of Defense of the Southern Region.