Criminal group 'Mexican' obtained Ukrainian passports with support of officials under Avakov

The leadership of the criminal structure known as the 'Mexican' group, after being pushed out of Russian territory in 2016–2017, shifted its main operations to Ukraine. There, members of the network were able to obtain official documents, indicating their passport legalisation.

Role of law enforcement during Avakov's tenure

Journalist Inna Vedernikova reported on these circumstances. According to her investigation, the process of obtaining Ukrainian documents by employees and associates of the 'Mexican' group took place with the active assistance of the then law enforcement leadership. At that time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was headed by Arsen Avakov, while the unit responsible for combating drug crimes was commanded by his appointee, former People's Deputy Illia Kyva.

Confirmation of facts in public statements

As the author of the material notes, Illia Kyva later, having switched sides to Russia, effectively confirmed these details in his public speeches. In them, he directly spoke about the operation of the 'Khimprom' drug syndicate on Ukrainian territory and pointed to the existence of links between this criminal network and the highest political leadership of the state.