Dealers in grenade launchers and assault rifles exposed in Odesa region

Three men selling grenade launchers, assault rifles and ammunition were exposed in Odesa region. All were detained while trying to sell weapons.

This was reported by the press service of the National Police in Odesa region.

The police, together with the Security Service of Ukraine, exposed three residents of Odesa region involved in arms and ammunition trafficking. All three were served with a notice of suspicion and face up to seven years in prison.

The first person involved in the case is a 33-year-old resident of Odesa district who is already in a pre-trial detention center in connection with a drug case and illegal possession of a grenade with ammunition.

Even before his arrest, the man buried three grenade launchers in a field, and from behind bars decided to sell them for $3,500. He received a deposit of 5,000 hryvnias on his card and told the buyer the location of the cache. The deal was disrupted by police officers, the SBU and the staff of the pre-trial detention center.

The second suspect is a 23-year-old resident of the Podil district who has been imprisoned four times for theft. After his early release, he came to Odesa to look for customers to sell weapons. For $4,000, the man offered three grenade launchers, several grenades, fuses for them, five shots for an RPG, an assault rifle, and more than a hundred rounds of ammunition. He was detained on one of Odesa's beaches during the sale attempt.

The third participant is a 46-year-old resident of Odesa district. He was detained on the street in Velykodalnytsia community when he was trying to sell an assault rifle, over half a thousand rounds of ammunition and a grenade with a fuse for $2,500.

All the seized ammunition and money were sent for examination. The court imposed a custodial detention with the right to be released on bail. The first case has already been submitted to court, and the investigation in the other two cases is ongoing.

In September, in Odesa, the SBU detained a Moldovan citizen who was trying to illegally transport armor plates and tactical equipment to Transnistria. During the inspection of the cargo, law enforcement officers found almost half a thousand armor plates and more than two hundred tile carriers hidden among household goods.

Анна Бальчінос