Authorities Uncover Drug Smuggling Operation from Czech Republic
Authorities have unveiled a criminal organization that established a smuggling operation for the drug «kratom» from the Czech Republic and its distribution through postal services in Ukraine.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
It has been determined that the scheme was operational since April 2024. To maintain secrecy, the prohibited substance was marketed as dietary supplements using the logistics of the company «Nova Poshta».
During the documentation of the criminal activities, instances of drug distribution to servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were discovered.
To expose the criminals, authorities conducted a series of operational measures, including controlled purchases.
On January 26, 2026, a large-scale special operation took place: over 20 simultaneous searches were conducted in the capital, as well as in the Kyiv, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhia, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, targeting residences of involved individuals, premises for storing and packaging drugs, and vehicles. As a result, authorities seized over 500 kilograms of narcotics, valued at more than five million hryvnias, along with cash, bank cards, and packaging equipment.
Six criminals were detained in a procedural manner. They have been charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Art. 255 part 2 – participation in a criminal organization;
- Art. 28 part 4 and Art. 307 part 3 – illegal production, manufacture, acquisition, storage, transportation, shipment or sale of narcotic drugs committed by a criminal organization;
- Art. 28 part 4 and Art. 305 part 3 – smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their analogs committed by a criminal organization.
The court has already chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention without bail.
As previously reported, kratom is a tropical plant found in Southeast Asia. Its scientific name is Mitragyna speciosa. The leaves of kratom contain a substance called «mitragynine» – a psychoactive alkaloid that is ten times stronger than morphine. The leaves are dried and crushed, and in this form, they are used as a narcotic. In small doses, it acts as a stimulant, while in larger doses, it can cause dependence.
