The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Police detained two groups of black gunmen. They operated in five regions of Ukraine at once — they sold trophy weapons of crime.
This was reported by the SBU press service.
Law enforcement officers detained nine members of the gang in Kyiv, Lviv, Rivne and Chernivtsi regions. Pretending to be volunteers, they took out trophy weapons from the de-occupied territories and sold them to criminals. For this, they restored it in their own workshops.
The persons involved sent the orders by mail, and the payment was accepted to the bank accounts registered to the fake people.
SBU exposed the scheme at its initial stage.
An arsenal of Russian Kalashnikov assault rifles, combat grenades and more than 50 000 cartridges of various calibers were seized from the detainees.
Two participants and the organizer of another group of black gunsmiths were detained in Lviv and Rivne regions. They sold combat grenades. The perpetrators found their clients through advertisements on the darknet.
During the searches, the law enforcement officers discovered a batch of submachine guns and pistols with accessories, tens of thousands of cartridges of various calibers, as well as 10 million hryvnias, presumably obtained illegally.
All the detainees are suspected of illegal handling of weapons. They face up to seven years in prison.
After checks, all seized weapons will be sent to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Author: Iryna Perepechko