Ukrainian anti-corruption agency uncovers criminal network linked to drug trafficking, fraud call centres and threats against journalists
Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor have exposed a criminal organisation in Operation Cartago. The organisation allegedly coordinated at least 52 fraudulent call centres, distributed prohibited synthetic cannabinoids through U420 shops and had ties to the Khimprom drug cartel. Recordings also show members discussing attacks and acid attacks against journalists covering the network.
Hovedpunkter
- The operation began on 5 September 2026 and was publicly announced on 4 November 2026.
- The organisation coordinated at least 52 fraudulent call centres employing approximately 2,700 people.
- Members allegedly paid law-enforcement officials to protect call centres and other illegal businesses.
- U420 shops sold solutions containing a prohibited synthetic cannabinoid classified as a type of spice.
- A Russian citizen known as “Mexican” allegedly led the transnational Khimprom drug cartel and controlled the U420 network.
- Members discussed harming journalist Denys Bigus, blogger Ihor Lachynkov and other media figures.
- Investigators said police had warned the organisation in advance about searches of the U420 stores.
Hvorfor det er vigtigt
The case links several serious public-security concerns: alleged protection of illegal businesses by law-enforcement officials, the use of apparently legitimate shops to distribute a prohibited synthetic cannabinoid, and alleged links to a transnational drug cartel. The recordings indicate that the organisation considered bribery, threats, physical attacks, arson and acid attacks to stop investigative journalism. The allegations have not yet received a final judicial determination, and the investigation remains active.
Hvad der skete
The National Agency on Corruption Prevention and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor announced on 4 November 2026 that they had uncovered a criminal organisation in Operation Cartago. According to investigators, it coordinated at least 52 fraudulent call centres with roughly 2,700 workers and systematically provided illicit payments to senior law-enforcement officials in return for unobstructed operations. Members were also linked to drug trafficking, kidnapping, violence and other crimes.
One of the alleged leaders, a Russian citizen known as “Mexican”, was identified as the head of the Khimprom transnational drug cartel and as the owner of the U420 shop network. Investigators said U420 sold solutions containing a synthetic cannabinoid classified as a variety of spice, mixing it with other substances so that the formula formally fell outside the prohibition. Searches were conducted in the stores on 14 April 2026 under proceedings concerning illegal drug circulation, creation of a criminal organisation and money laundering.
The published recordings also reveal discussions about harming or intimidating journalists. One participant proposed throwing acid in Denys Bigus’s face to make him “unpresentable,” while other members discussed attacks on Ihor Lachynkov and an author of the ProKyiv Telegram channel. The organisation initially considered paying journalists or threatening them, and if those methods failed, resorting to physical attacks or arson.
Sådan beskriver ukrainske kilder det
Ukrainian reporting places the case at the intersection of institutional security, public health and media freedom. Significant attention is given to alleged protection supplied by officials from the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as the links between U420 and the Khimprom cartel. Forensic testing of the synthetic cannabinoids is treated as evidence of a direct public-health risk. The recordings are presented as evidence that investigative journalists were targeted after Bihus.Info exposed U420. Broader reporting on Operation Cartago also examines alleged bribery of call centres, attempts to obstruct cooperation with the anti-corruption authorities and interference with anti-corruption institutions.
Baggrund
The first physical U420 stores opened in Kyiv in spring 2025. The network later grew to about 30 locations and prepared to expand to Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa. Bihus.Info bought products from three Kyiv shops and sent samples to a private laboratory and the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ state forensic centre, where a prohibited synthetic cannabinoid was identified. Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers added the substance to its list of prohibited compounds on 5 February 2026, several days after the purchases. Operation Cartago began in September 2026 and was publicly announced in November.