Odesa court sends suspect in organization of international drug trafficking to pre-trial detention center

The Peresypskyi District Court of Odesa has imposed a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention without bail on a suspect in the organization of a transnational drug supply channel from Europe to Ukraine.

This was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation.

SBI officers detained the suspect on January 2. As part of the special operation, it was established that the drug trafficking was organized by an international criminal group consisting of citizens of Ukraine, Armenia, the Czech Republic and Germany. The group members had a clear division of roles, acted in secret and used several levels of logistics.

The group's organizer, according to the Bureau, had previously served a sentence in the United States for similar crimes. After returning to Ukraine, he resumed his illegal activities, involving accomplices abroad. One of them was a permanent resident of Germany and coordinated the regular supply of drugs from EU countries. The other suspect, together with his father, was responsible for receiving, storing and further distributing illegal substances in Ukraine, having contacts with wholesale buyers.

At the first stage, the criminals used inconspicuous methods of transporting small batches of drugs with the involvement of specially selected couriers who hid the drugs in their bodies. Such deliveries were regular and served to test channels and routes.

According to the investigation, the group planned to import cocaine to Ukraine in batches of up to two kilograms per week. The cost of one such batch on the illegal market exceeded USD 200 thousand.

They also documented intentions to involve individual customs and border guard officers in illegal activities. The SBI is checking the possible involvement of officials in this transaction.

The man was served a notice of suspicion of illegal transportation and sale of drugs. If found guilty, the man faces imprisonment for a term of nine to twelve years with confiscation of property.

In August 2025, police officers and the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a special operation in Odesa, Kyiv, and Dnipro to detain suspects in the organization of round-the-clock cocaine trafficking in these cities.

Кирило Бойко