Law enforcement officers have declared the suspicion to 5 members of a criminal organization that was exposed as part of Operation “Carthage”. They are suspected of bribing law enforcement officers to prevent them from interfering with the work of fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses.
This was reported by the press service of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office (SAPO).
The organizer, aka "Criminal" on the recordings, is suspected of creating a criminal organization, torture, making counterfeit money, laundering illegal assets, and bribery.
The first deputy head of one of the SBU departments, who is referred to in the case materials as "Akim" (our sources said that this refers to Major General Serhiy Duka), is suspected of creating, leading a criminal community or criminal organization, as well as participating in it.
The head of one of the departments of the National Police of Ukraine ("Price" — Volodymyr Tsenov, according to Babel) was informed of suspicion under the article about a criminal organization, as well as in accepting a bribe.
The Deputy Head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police in the Kyiv Region (“Consultant”, or Oleksandr Demyanchuk) was suspected of participating in a criminal organization, torture, and making counterfeit money.
The subordinate organizer of the criminal organization is also suspected of its creation and participation in it, as well as of torture.
What preceded
On November 4, NABU came to search a house in a gated cottage town in northern Kyiv. Babelʼs sources reported that the searches were conducted at the house of Serhiy Duka. NABU had previously claimed, without naming, that their detectives had been threatened with a weapon by a high-ranking SBU official.
After that, NABU detectives reported that the searches were conducted as part of Operation “Carthage". In particular, law enforcement officers exposed a criminal organization that was engaged in fraudulent call centers, drug distribution, as well as kidnapping and beating people.
According to the investigation, the Russian drug cartel "Khimprom" expanded its activities in Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Its leader, who is called "Mexican" in the video, recruited "Criminal", who was supposed to protect the business from law enforcement officers through his connections. He collaborated with two executors — "Pasha" and "Boxer", and also maintained contacts with high-ranking officials of SBU and the National Police.
According to the investigation, the organization included two police officers — "Price" and "Consultant", as well as an SBU official "Akim".
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