The National Police exposed the leader of Khimprom, nicknamed "Mexican", for organizing the sale of drugs in the U420 chain of stores under the guise of souvenirs and sweets, violence against opponents, and fraudulent extortion through call centers in Ukraine.
Ivan Vyhivskyi, the head of the National Police, has announced this at a briefing, the Ukrainian News agency reports.
According to him, "Mexican" was the head of the Khimprom organized crime group, which was engaged in drug trafficking, violence, and fraud. Vyhivskyi noted that the leader of Khimprom has been on the international wanted list since 2019 and is abroad in Mexico, where he runs the organized crime group.
At the direction of the OCG leader, the criminals were ready to shoot at the heads of the National Police or pour acid on them and their families for USD 300,000-500,000. The head of the Department for Combating Drugs, Dmytro Torhalo, personally received threats.
In December 2025, a co-organizer for 5 performers was detained. The Khimprom group opened 105 U420 outlets in Ukraine. The main product is the "Joint" weed, a synthetic cannabinoid. The drugs were also sold under the guise of gummy candies.
In order to import the necessary raw materials into Ukraine, the suspects changed the composition of cannabinoids and blocked the actions of the National Police to introduce the relevant compound into the CMU resolution. The shops were earning USD 100,000 a day. On April 14, 280 searches were conducted, and goods worth UAH 75 million were seized. Most of it was cannabinoids. On April 17, 70 searches were conducted in connection with the violent actions of the Khimprom organized crime group.
23 members of the Khimprom organized crime group were brought to justice.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, more than 200 searches were conducted in the U420 chain of stores, which is suspected of selling psychotropic substances. Earlier, investigative journalists claimed that the dangerous substance was being sold there under the guise of "souvenirs."
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