Kharkiv operatives exposed a group of persons involved in arms trafficking
During searches of the places of residence of the defendants in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Poltava region, police officers found a large number of firearms of various calibers, including pistols and machine guns, ammunition, machetes and knives.
At the beginning of 2021, the employees of the Criminal Investigation Department of the GUNP in the Kharkiv region received operational information that a resident of Kharkiv may be involved in the illegal circulation of firearms.
In order to establish the criminal activity of the specified person by the employees of the Kharkiv police, several operational combinations were carried out, as a result of which two facts of illegal operations for the sale of firearms were documented.
In January of this year, the attacker sold a K-98 carbine of the Mauser system of the 1897 model for 9,800 hryvnias. To another buyer, a 40-year-old man sold an MP-40 automatic machine for 35000 hryvnias. According to this fact, the investigators opened criminal proceedings under Part 1 of Art. 263 (illegal handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
As part of the authorized search, criminal investigators found weapons and ammunition in the defendant's residence. Police seized a PM-40 machine gun, a bayonet knife, a Degtyarev infantry machine gun, a Mosin rifle, a bayonet-knife rifle, a cold weapon, cartridges, a narcotic substance of plant origin and a mouthpiece with a glass flask. All items removed are sent for examination. The man was detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and arrested.
During the investigation of the criminal links of the suspect, Kharkiv operatives came upon the trail of two people involved in the illegal sale of firearms.
During the implementation of operational combinations, the police documented two such facts.
The attackers offered the buyer to purchase a SVT-40 self-loading rifle for 24 400 hryvnia. After receiving the money, which was transferred to the bank card in two tranches, the defendants sent two parcels with the rifle in disassembled condition to the client by mail. According to the same scheme, another buyer purchased a Luger-PO8 pistol from the attackers, for which he paid 18,200 hryvnias.
On the basis of the court decision on April 16, the operatives of the Criminal Investigation Department with the support of the soldiers of the special purpose police regiment and the Department “Rapid Action Corps”, employees of the canine center with a service dog under the procedural direction of the Slovid District Prosecutor's Office of the city of Kharkiv held an appearance at the place of residence the applicant and his search partner. In Kiev, in the apartment of a 74-year-old man, police found and seized a Luger pistol, a WALTHER pistol, a Cheset pistol, a Browning pistol and about 300 rounds of ammunition.
In the Poltava region in the city of Kremenchug, at the place of residence of a 45-year-old citizen, police officers seized Degtyarev's machine gun in disassembled condition, a nagan, a Fromer pistol, cartridges, spare parts for Mosin's machine gun and rifles, a machete and 3 knives.
Pre-trial investigation is carried out under Part 2 of Article 15, Part 1 of Article 263 (attempted illegal handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives) and Part 1 of Article 263 (illegal handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Currently, investigative actions are ongoing. The issue of notifying defendants of suspicion and choosing a measure of precaution is resolved. In accordance with the sanction of the article, they face up to 7 years in prison.
Police Communication Department of Kharkiv Oblast
