In the centre of Lviv, the operation of 12 shops selling psychotropic substances disguised as souvenir products has been halted. According to the investigation, a group of individuals organised a scheme to profit from the sale of prohibited substances through official souvenir sales outlets.
The manager of the shops, a 41-year-old woman from Lviv, purchased the prohibited substances in bulk and distributed them to the sales points. The range included souvenir cigarettes, drinks, jellies, chewing gum, sweets, chocolate, and smoking devices. Some of the products contained psychotropic substances such as tetrahydrocannabinol, PVP, and ADB-4en-PINACA.
There were 12 such shops operating in Lviv: 9 in the city centre, one in the area of Naukovoi Street, one near the railway station, and one in Sykhiv. The sellers, a 19-year-old man from Lviv and a 20-year-old local woman, were aware of the prohibited content of the products but offered them as legal.
In April, the operation of all the shops was halted. During the searches, products with possible prohibited substances were seized, including 7,122 bottles of drinks, 6,207 sweets, 1,438 joints, 784 packs of chocolate, 649 containers of gummy bears, and other goods. Devices for smoking, electronics, documentation, mobile phones, over 650,000 UAH, and 650 USD were also seized.
The Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office has notified the manager and sellers of suspicion under part 2 of article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Investigative actions are ongoing, and a number of expert examinations have been appointed to determine the legal qualification of the actions of other involved individuals.