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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
One of the defendants in the Karpagen case, nicknamed the “Mexican,” owned the U420 network and was preparing to physically deal with journalist Denys Bigus. The criminals planned to stop the investigation into the sale of narcotics.
This is stated in the released materials of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
Narcotics cartel tried to bribe a government official.
The organizer of the scheme was revealed to be a Russian citizen who fled to Ukraine after being put on the wanted list in 2016 year and created the transnational narcotics cartel “Khimpro.”
The U420 network sold psychotropic drugs by adding external impurities, which allowed a formal circumvention of current legislation. For uninterrupted drug trade, the criminals tried to establish corrupt ties with government officials in case the substances used were banned.
“Mexican” contacted his associate nicknamed “Criminal” who owned a stake in the turnover of U420, with a demand to give a bribe to one of the government officials. In the published interrogation recordings, the official is identified only by the first letter – K.
Regarding K. — see what they offer me. They say: “Let’s enter into a partnership [relationship],” we’ll all be in it, no one will be left out of the “gas.”
— translated “Criminal” the details of the conversation to his accomplice.
Screenshot / NABU
The defendants also discussed bribing other high-ranking officials and promoting laws for full legalization of marijuana. The realization of corrupt agreements was prevented by the publication of material by the Bihus.Info team.
Threats of retaliation against journalists and activists.
After the journalists’ materials were published, the “Mexican” initially planned to reach an agreement with Denys Bigus, but after a failure moved to discuss a forceful option with a physical attack.
Regarding Bigus, I don’t understand why everyone is jittery: “He is under the Americans” and similar. It seems to me that everyone is right, perhaps they are grant eaters, but that after beating them up, half the world will come after them — it seems to me that everyone is guessing. Let me ruin him, because this rat, [if] today he doesn’t reveal something about us, then he will reveal in half a year. And so, to pour acid on him — and he will be unpresentable.
— said the “Mexican.”
Screenshot / NABU
In addition to the journalist, the suspects discussed scaring blogger Ihor Lachenkov and representatives of MEDIA PRO: KYIV, who covered the network’s activities.
Further searches in the shops were described by the criminals as a coordinated staged picture, which law enforcement allegedly warned the narcocartel about in advance.
Expert examination found synthetic psychotropics in souvenirs.
For the first time, the network’s operation was uncovered by Bihus.Info investigators, who purchased samples of products in three central city establishments and handed them to specialists at the Forensic Science Research Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. State expertise confirmed the presence of prohibited synthetic cannabinoid, classified as spice.
14 in April 2026, law enforcement conducted official investigative actions in the establishments, and in the Office of the Prosecutor General they confirmed the trade in souvenir cigarettes and drinks with toxic chemical compounds.
The content of the dangerous substance in the product was regularly changed to keep up with updates to the government’s banned list.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item ""Кислотою облити": фігурант справи "Карфаген" володів мережею U420 і планував напад на Бігуса". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
