Six "crime lords" charged in Dnipropetrovsk region
Under the procedural supervision of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, six individuals have been charged with establishing and spreading criminal influence, organizing, and participating in criminal gatherings.
As reported by Ukrinform, the Office of the Prosecutor General announced this on Facebook.
"The suspects, including the 'right-hand man' of a so-called 'thief-in-law,' the 'watcher' for Kryvyi Rih, and individuals who controlled criminal activities in detention centers in Kryvyi Rih and Dnipro, were spreading criminal influence across the region," the statement reads.
According to the investigation, the suspects used communication tools to organize "gatherings" in pretrial detention centers in Kryvyi Rih and Dnipro. These meetings were used to resolve conflicts, determine the status of members within the criminal underworld, and divide spheres of influence.
Authorities also confirmed instances where the suspects contacted Russian "thieves-in-law" (high-ranking criminal figures).
During searches conducted in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia regions, and Kyiv, law enforcement officers seized large sums of cash, mobile phones and computer equipment, drugs and drug production equipment, ammunition and vehicles.
Two of the suspects were arrested and have been remanded in custody. The remaining individuals are already in detention for previously committed crimes.
As Ukrinform previously reported, police in Dnipropetrovsk region recently arrested two deputies and a "crime lord" who attempted to extort $60,000 from a former deputy mayor.