In the Lviv region, law enforcement officers uncovered the cultivation of cannabis plants in the Stryi district and a cannabis distribution network involving residents of the Lviv district. This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine and the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the investigation, a 53-year-old Lviv resident, together with accomplices aged 56, 59 and 63, set up a special plot of land in a deserted and hard-to-reach area of the Stryi district. They cleared the area of excess vegetation, laid a path, supplied water and installed an irrigation system. Cannabis plants were planted in prepared soil; fertilisers and growth and flowering stimulants were used.
Once mature, the cannabis plants were processed into the narcotic substance cannabis. The sale of the finished “product” was handled by other individuals – members of one family from the Lviv district: a 46-year-old man, his 44-year-old wife and their 19-year-old son. According to law enforcement officers, the cannabis was, in particular, sent to various regions of Ukraine.
During a court-authorised search of the “plantation”, police officers seized 30 cannabis plants, equipment for cultivation and packaging, electronic scales, means of communication, other physical evidence, as well as cannabis which, according to the investigation, was stored for the purpose of sale. A significant batch of cannabis was also found and seized at the home of the family involved in its distribution. All seized items have been sent for expert examination.
The individuals who cultivated the cannabis plants are suspected of committing offences under Part 2 of Article 310 and Part 3 of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Members of the family who, according to the investigation, sold the cannabis have been notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The maximum penalty facing the suspects is up to twelve years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.