Weapons and Drugs Seized in Mykolaiv: Man Faces 7 Years in Prison

A court has arrested a weapons cache seized by law enforcement from a resident of a village in Mykolaiv region. He now faces up to seven years in prison.

The Pervomaiskyi City District Court of Mykolaiv Oblast has ordered the arrest of weapons, ammunition and drugs seized from a resident of the village of Kumari. According to the investigation, the man was illegally possessing explosives and ammunition and is suspected of drug trafficking.

Law enforcement officers received information that a resident of Pervomaiskyi district was storing weapons and ammunition for the purpose of selling them. During the investigation, it was found that there was an illegal arsenal in his house. As part of the investigation, a controlled purchase was organized, during which the man handed over a Kalashnikov tank machine gun and a large amount of ammunition to the buyer. This became the basis for an authorized search.

On March 26, law enforcement officers searched the suspect's house. As a result, they found an F-1 grenade case, a fuse for it, a modernized Kalashnikov gun barrel, more than three thousand rounds of ammunition of various calibers, and 11 thousand hryvnias. In addition, they found drugs of plant origin, probably cannabis, and devices for its use.

The prosecutor consolidated all criminal proceedings related to this case. The investigating judge concluded that the seized property was evidence in the criminal proceedings and could be used for further investigation. That is why he was arrested and all the seized items were handed over to the police for safekeeping.

The man is charged with illegal possession and sale of weapons (Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), as well as possession of narcotic substances (Part 1 of Article 309 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). If his guilt is proven in court, he faces up to seven years in prison.

In February, law enforcement officers in Bashtanka detained a 28-year-old local resident suspected of illegal sale of weapons and ammunition. During the search, they seized an assault rifle with 30 rounds of ammunition, an RGD-5 grenade with a fuse, more than 750 rounds of ammunition, and an unregistered large-caliber hunting rifle.

Meanwhile, Mykolaiv's Korabelnyi District Court sentenced a serviceman who was illegally in possession of an M67 hand-held fragmentation grenade. Despite his previous convictions for theft, fraud and drug-related crimes, he avoided imprisonment this time.

In late January, police seized hundreds of pieces of ammunition, explosives and weapons during large-scale operations in Mykolaiv region. Over 700 rounds of ammunition, 18 grenades, automatic weapons, a rocket launcher for a grenade launcher, and about 7 kilograms of explosives were found during more than 50 searches.

Анна Бальчінос