Seven Individuals Arrested on Drug-Related Charges

Officers from the Central Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have arrested seven individuals on charges involving the illegal purchase, possession, sale, and facilitation of the sale of narcotics in particularly large quantities, as well as the illegal cultivation of narcotic-containing plants.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, operational measures and investigative actions revealed that the accused placed drugs at specific, pre-selected locations and subsequently sent the corresponding coordinates and identifying photographs to interested parties. "Acting on a court order, law enforcement officers conducted a controlled purchase of narcotics from one of the detainees and covertly recorded the transaction via audio and video.

Among the detainees is an individual whom law enforcement sought to expose by substituting a parcel addressed to them; a large quantity of narcotics was subsequently seized as evidence.

During searches of the accused individuals' persons and temporary residences, as well as at locations identified by them, police seized—as evidence—various types of narcotics prepared for sale in exceptionally large quantities, including methadone, Alpha-PVP, buprenorphine, marijuana, and cannabis plants.

Materials required for packaging narcotics were also seized during the investigative operations.

The investigation is proceeding under Articles 260, 260-4, and 265-1 of the Criminal Code, which provide for penalties ranging from imprisonment for up to 20 years to life imprisonment," the statement notes.