Ukraine’s law enforcers seize batch of imported cocaine disguised as washing powder

In Odesa, two citizens suspected of drug trafficking were detained over trying to smuggle into Ukraine a UAH 2.3 million batch of cocaine under the guise of washing powder.

The drugs are believed to have been delivered from the Netherlands, the National Police reported, according to Ukrinform.

The inquiry learned that an Odesa resident engaged his female acquaintance as a courier to physically deliver cocaine to Ukraine.

"The woman drove her vehicle abroad where she took the package from the seller. In order not to attract attention during customs routine, she hid the batch in a washing powder package," the report reads.

Operatives from the Odesa strategic investigations department of the National Police and detectives from the Security Service Office in the capital and Kyiv region detained both suspects in Odesa. During the raid, a kilogram of cocaine was seized, worth over UAH 2.3 million on the black market.

The culprits were charged under Art. 305 Part 3 of the Criminal Code (drug trafficking). Both face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty in court.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, law enforcers in Chernihiv region exposed an extensive network for the sale of psychotropic substances with a turnover of millions of hryvnias.