Almost a tonne of psychotropic substances found in cars: a record consignment of kratom from Romania intercepted in Bukovina

Customs officers in Chernivtsi, working in conjunction with staff from the Security Service of Ukraine, have foiled an attempt to illegally import a large consignment of a prohibited substance of plant origin into Ukraine, reports the State Customs Service.

At the ‘Vadul-Siret’ customs post, during a thorough inspection of two cars travelling from Romania, law enforcement officers discovered and seized 960 kilograms of contraband.

Hidden in the passenger compartments and luggage compartments

The illegal cargo was transported whilst being concealed from customs inspection. The smugglers had concealed the packaged substance in structural cavities, passenger compartments and luggage compartments in both vehicles.

Thanks to real-time intelligence and the deployment of service dogs, customs officers and SBU operatives managed to prevent almost a tonne of psychoactive substances from entering the black market in Ukraine.

Legal classification and legal consequences

Chernivtsi Customs has already forwarded an official report on the unlawful act to the law enforcement authorities. The incident has been classified under Article 305 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (‘Smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues or precursors’).

For committing this offence on a particularly large scale, the guilty parties face a sentence of imprisonment for a term of between 9 and 12 years, with confiscation of property.

For reference:

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) — a tropical tree native to South-East Asia, the leaves of which contain the alkaloids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. Depending on the dosage, the substance has a pronounced stimulant or opioid-like effect, leading to rapid psychological and physical dependence. In Ukraine, kratom and its active components are included in the List of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

Read more news on GreenPost.