The Security Service of Ukraine dismantled an international drug smuggling ring operating out of Southern Europe and seized the largest shipment of cocaine since the start of the full-scale war, valued at approximately 70 million hryvnia. As part of a special operation in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Lviv regions, ten suspected members of an international drug syndicate were detained simultaneously, the SBU reported on August 12.
According to the security service, the group was involved in the distribution of wholesale shipments of cocaine, ecstasy, and other psychotropic substances imported from abroad. The SBU estimates the monthly revenue from these illegal activities at 15–20 million hryvnias.
Investigators believe a Kyiv resident was the organizer of the group’s activities in Ukraine. According to law enforcement, he recruited people to distribute drugs in various regions of the country.
During the first series of searches, SBU officers discovered approximately 2 kg of cocaine and other prohibited substances. Subsequently, more than 8 kg of cocaine and other potent substances were found in hiding places. The SBU estimated the total value of the seized substances at approximately 70 million hryvnias.
Thus, this amounts to approximately 10 kg of cocaine, not including the other seized substances. The SBU describes this shipment as the largest the agency has uncovered in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.
The ten detainees have been notified of charges under Part 3 of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—the illegal production, acquisition, storage, transportation, or sale of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances committed by an organized group. They are currently in custody. The investigation has also established the possible involvement of three Ukrainian citizens currently in Spain in organizing the trafficking route. The issue of their extradition to Ukraine is currently being resolved.
The operation was carried out by SBU officers under the procedural supervision of the Dnipro District Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv.
The SBU operation comes amid high cocaine supply in Europe. According to the 2026 European Drug Report, cocaine remains the second most prevalent illicit drug in Europe after cannabis. Approximately 4.3 million Europeans aged 15–64 have used it in the past year.
The EUDA notes that large shipments of cocaine continue to flow into Europe primarily from South America, with international criminal networks actively exploiting global commercial and maritime cargo flows. Large quantities of the drug are regularly seized at European ports.
Spain and the Western Balkans are a key component of the European system for combating international drug trafficking, primarily due to the activities of major organized crime groups in the region.
Europol notes that certain criminal networks linked to Montenegro are involved in organizing large-scale cocaine shipments from South America to European markets and have connections both within the EU and in Latin America.
In April 2026, Europol reported the arrest in Montenegro of one of the leading members of the so-called “Balkan Cartel.” Montenegrin law enforcement authorities charged a group of suspects in connection with the illicit trafficking of approximately 2,700 metric tons of cocaine between October 2024 and April 2026. The drugs had previously been seized during several operations in EU countries and South America.
