Odessa sentenced to 10 years for organizing heroin smuggling from the Russian Federation
Kyiv District Court Odessa found a 36-year-old Odessa resident guilty of organizing a channel for smuggling heroin from the Russian Federation to Ukraine.
During the court hearing, it turned out that the organizer of the channel recruited an acquaintance from the couriers who needed funds to treat himself and his wife. In court, the courier admitted that he used to go to Moscow 3-4 times a year in order to purchase medicines for his sick wife and for himself. Feeling the need for money, he agreed to transport drugs across the border. For this, according to the courier, he should have received 1500 US dollars, according to the channel organizer - 2000 US dollars.
According to the instructions of the organizer, the courier arrived in Moscow, where he was approached at the Gardener market by a guy who handed over a package with a drug and $800.
During the crossing of the state border of Ukraine, a courier with drugs was detained. In court, employees of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said that measures to develop a channel for smuggling drugs from the territory of Russia to the territory of Ukraine were carried out by operational-search units of the border agency. After being exposed at the border, the courier agreed to cooperate with the investigation. He contacted the organizer and sent him a package packed by law enforcement officers, imitating a “heroin” parcel.
In Odessa, the organizer of the channel received a transfer at a branch of a logistics company, after which he was detained by employees of the State Border Guard Service and the SBU. Subsequently, law enforcement also discovered drugs at his place of residence.
In court, the organizer of the channel tried to convince that he was only a buyer, and he bought drugs for his own needs. The panel of judges was not convinced by this, as it was not possible to establish information that he had a stable source of income that would allow him to purchase a large batch of drugs, worth $50 per gram - for his own needs.
The court came to the conclusion that the accused had the intention of selling drugs, since having drugs at home, he illegally purchased another 500 grams of heroin.
Also during the court session, a bank employee testified that previously the accused constantly transferred amounts equivalent to 600-700 US dollars to a certain person in Tajikistan 2-3 times a week.
The court found the organizer of heroin smuggling guilty of the crimes stipulated in Part 3 of Article 305 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and Part 2, 3 of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. According to the totality of the crimes, he was given a sentence in the form of imprisonment for 10 years with the confiscation of all property belonging to him.
Press service of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine
