Russia Stops Activities of Drug Syndicate With Offices in Kiev

Russian police and FSB operatives have stopped activities of a drug syndicate with recruiting offices in Ukraine and annual turnover of over 2 billion rubles ($34 million), the Russian Interior Ministry said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to ministry's spokeswoman Irina Volk, the so-called KhimProm syndicate had recruiting offices in Kiev, circulating ads with offers of high-salary jobs as couriers and shipping agents in Russia.

"A total of 67 members of the drug syndicate have been arrested, including 47 Ukrainian citizens," Volk said.

Investigators found that recruits had been offered short-term courses where they were taught how to use different electronic payment systems, pack and transport drugs. They were supplied with bank cards issued with fake IDs, counterfeit Russian passports, driver’s licenses and cellphones with installed messaging apps.

The syndicate set up an online shopping site, called KhimProm, in 2015 for selling drugs from the territory of Ukraine, which listed types, prices and delivery options for their products.

The criminal ring had an annual turnover of over 2 billion rubles ($34 million). According to Volk, police seized over four metric tons of synthetic drugs, 3.5 metric tons of precursors, 250 pieces of lab equipment, nine vehicles, over 2 million rubles in cash, as well as 18 fake Russian passports.