37 detained in Ukraine operation seizing cannabis and cocaine
Ukrainian police detained 37 people and named 39 suspects in the two-stage Operation Espanyol across 11 regions, disrupting cocaine, cannabis and hashish channels from Spain, Portugal and the United States. Officers searched 141 sites and seized a combined 67 kg of drugs including cannabis and hashish, plus growing equipment, weapons and property valued at over 90 million hryvnias.
🇺🇦 Ukraine (11 regions) · Ukraine
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Arrested
37
Charged
39
Ukrainian officers notified 39 people that they were suspected in a
drug-trafficking scheme and detained 37 of them.[1][2][3]The two-stage Operation
Espanyol ran across 11 regions of Ukraine, cutting smuggling channels and
interregional sales and exposing other distributors of cocaine and cannabis.[1][2]The 39 suspects were notified over drug trafficking and smuggling, and the
most serious charge carries up to 12 years in prison with confiscation.[4]
Investigators said cocaine and hashish came from Spain and Portugal, while
cannabis came from the United States.[4][2][3]The drugs were hidden in household
appliances and moved across the border on international buses and in postal
parcels.[1]In Ukraine the drugs were sold through Telegram channels and a
network of distributors.[1][2]Officers carried out 141 searches and seized more
than 67 kg of drugs and psychotropic substances, including 3.5 kg of cocaine as
well as cannabis, hashish, amphetamine, alpha-PVP, MDMA and ketamine.[4][2][3]They
also seized equipment for growing drug-containing plants, cars, equipment,
weapons and ammunition, and cash in national and foreign currencies worth more
than 3 million hryvnias.[1]Authorities put the total value of the seized
drugs and property at more than 90 million hryvnias.[4][3]
The operation was conducted under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from
the Office of the Prosecutor General and regional and district offices and
exposed international supply channels and a sales network.[1]Everyone is
presumed innocent until a court verdict proves guilt.[1]The pre-trial
investigation is continuing to identify other people involved in organising the
smuggling and sales.[4]
The seized drugs also included kratom, psilocybin mushrooms and confectionery containing tetrahydrocannabinol.[2]
Photos and video
Photo of Operation Espanyol published with the report, credited to the Office of the Prosecutor General. Photo: Ofis Henprokurora Source: МежаLead photo of the Operation Espanyol case, captioned on the page “Narkotyky khoronyly v bytovii tekhnitsi” (drugs hidden in household appliances), with the page crediting the National Police as the source. Photo: National Police of Ukraine Source: StopCor
No separate weight for cannabis or hashish was published, only a combined total of more than 67 kg for all drugs, so no cannabis kilograms are recorded.
The figure of more than 90 million hryvnias values all seized drugs and property together, not cannabis alone, so no value is recorded.
The cash of more than 3 million hryvnias is an equivalent across national and foreign currencies for the whole case, not cannabis proceeds alone.
No separate date for the searches and detentions was published; 5 November 2026 is the publication date of both accounts and is used as the incident date.
Ukrainian reports say 39 people were notified of suspicion, which is recorded here as charged, while 37 were detained.
The heaviest charge carries up to 12 years with confiscation, but no sentence has been reported and everyone is presumed innocent until a court verdict.
Both accounts reproduce the police and prosecutor statements, with no independent account of the operation.
The text gives a weight ("67 kg") but the figures have no kg_seized; check whether it belongs there.
The page carries eight photographs under the same generic caption about Operation Espanyol, without descriptive captions identifying what each photograph shows, so no media entry is included.
StopCor uses the Russian spelling "Эспаньол" for the operation; the National Police writes "Еспаньйол" (Espanyol).
The StopCor item links only to the National Police Telegram post and gives no separate date for the searches and detentions.
The page carries several further gallery photographs under one generic caption, so only the lead photograph could be identified; the others were left out.
StopCor's own related item, the 10.5 million hryvnia Kyiv drug sale disguised as animal feed, is a separate event and is not part of this report.
A 33-year-old man in Shepetivka will stand trial accused of growing more than 400 cannabis bushes at his home, with dried cannabis also found in his attic. Police completed the investigation and sent an indictment under Part 2 of Article 310 to court.
Police in Uzhhorod detained two men accused of selling methamphetamine and seized methamphetamine, marijuana, ecstasy-like tablets and about 1,000 rounds in court-authorised searches. Both suspects were notified of suspicion under Ukraine's drug-trafficking article and ordered held in custody with bail available.
Kherson police exposed an interregional group that grew cannabis in Kherson district and sold it in Kherson and Odesa regions by meetings and mail, seizing about 8 kg. Four suspects were notified of suspicion and placed in custody, facing up to ten years in prison.
Police in Mykolaiv detained a 44-year-old man suspected of selling cannabis to acquaintances and seized almost 8 kg of cannabis at his home. He was notified of suspicion of repeated large-scale drug sale or storage for sale and placed in custody with 499,200 hryvnias bail available.
