VIDEO │ Nearly 3 kg of psychotropic slimming pills seized in smuggling operation
The Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) is handling a case involving the smuggling of psychotropic substances. Nearly three kilograms of drugs were intercepted in the Republic of Moldova, which had been sent from Kazakhstan by mail under the guise of "slimming" products. These drugs were intended to be trafficked to Ukraine.
A smuggling scheme allegedly involved a 33-year-old man from Chisinau and a 46-year-old woman from Ceadâr-Lunga.
According to law enforcement, the drugs arrived in the Republic of Moldova concealed in packages falsely declared as containing cosmetics, supplements, or medications. After arriving, the drugs were divided and prepared for illegal transportation out of the country.
Some of the substances were temporarily stored in a house near the Moldovan-Ukrainian border in Otaci, while the rest were sent directly by mail.
In total, law enforcement officers seized over 1.7 kg of drugs from the warehouse and approximately 1.2 kg from postal items.
The drugs were smuggled across the border into Ukraine, either by women who hid them in their clothes or luggage, or by the accused man, who transported them under the pretense of being a taxi driver.
Once the drugs reached Ukraine, they were taken over by another individual responsible for selling them.
To investigate the group's activities, prosecutors and investigators collaborated with Ukrainian authorities and conducted control purchases, acquiring dozens of such substances.
The case involves actions committed between 2024 and 2025, with the network mainly coordinated from Ukraine.
On April 19, 2025, several couriers were caught red-handed while attempting to transport a new batch of psychotropic substances abroad. Following this, the two main suspects were detained in the Republic of Moldova.
The defendants face charges of organizing and implementing the smuggling scheme, as well as drug trafficking. If found guilty, they could each face up to 15 years in prison.
