Resident of Mykolaiv region lured Ukrainians into drug trafficking in Russia

A man was sentenced in Mykolaiv for recruiting people to work in Russia. They were deceived into acting as couriers for drug trafficking.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Korabelnyi District Court of Mykolaiv.

According to the investigation, the accused and his accomplice offered two Ukrainians jobs as couriers abroad, concealing the real purpose - drug trafficking.

The first victim was recruited at the Central Market of Mykolaiv, taking advantage of his difficult financial situation. He was provided with a plane ticket via Odesa, Minsk and Moscow to Nizhnevartovsk and a phone with an app to receive assignments. Upon arrival in Russia, the man was detained by local law enforcement and sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison.

The second victim was recruited under a similar scheme: in Mykolaiv, he was offered a job as a courier in Russia, concealing the fact that his activities were related to drugs. The victim was also provided with a ticket and travel instructions. Upon arrival in Russia, he was also detained and sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Law enforcement officers classified the defendant's actions under Part 2 of Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - recruitment and transportation of people for the purpose of exploitation by involvement in criminal activity, using deception and vulnerable state of the victims.

The court sentenced the accused to 5 years in prison. At the same time, the man was released from serving his sentence on probation for one year, obliging him to periodically register with the probation authority and report any changes in his place of residence, work or study.

Investigators emphasized that the defendant was not the organizer of the criminal group, but acted in prior conspiracy with another person and facilitated the transfer of victims for their exploitation.

In August, a Mykolaiv court convicted a 20-year-old local resident for trafficking in psychotropic substances and precursors. The girl met a person on the Internet who offered to sell her amphetamine. She agreed and followed the instructions of her "curator". The court sentenced her to 9 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Анна Бальчінос