Drugs disguised as desserts and drinks were sold in cafes in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia

Several food service establishments in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia turned out to be channels for the supply of prohibited substances. An organised group of five citizens used cafes to sell drugs and psychotropic substances disguised as ordinary food and drinks.

Replacing the classic menu with prohibited substances

The investigation established that customers were offered not only traditional items but also modified products. The assortment included drinks with kratom, gummy candies, and biscuits, into which cannabis and psychotropic substances had been added. The price of such desserts reached approximately 400 hryvnia. The establishments also sold e-cigarettes with additives of prohibited components.

Logistics and the network's income

According to operational data, the goods were supplied from abroad through a network of their own carriers. The prohibited substances were then delivered to the points of sale via postal shipments. Preliminary calculations by the investigation indicate that the daily profit from one cafe amounted to around 10,000 hryvnia.

Course of the special operation and seizure of evidence

The network's activities were stopped by officers of the Zaporizhzhia Directorate of the Internal Security Department and the Department for Combating Drug Crime, jointly with investigators from the Main Investigative Directorate of the National Police. Law enforcement officers conducted simultaneous authorised searches in three regions.

During the investigative actions, narcotic and psychotropic substances, packaging materials, branded labels for product marking, cash, and other evidence of probable illegal activity were seized.

Article and possible punishment

All five members of the group were informed of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This provision concerns the illegal production, acquisition, storage, transportation, dispatch, or sale of narcotic substances and psychotropic substances committed by an organised group.

The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of deprivation of liberty for a term of up to 12 years with confiscation of property. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

The operation was carried out with the participation of units of the Internal Security Department and the Department for Combating Drug Crime of the National Police. Force support was provided by the special-purpose police of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the tactical and operational response unit of the patrol police of Lviv Oblast. Procedural supervision is exercised by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.