In Vinnytsia, the winner of the Chemistry Olympiad created a large-scale drug laboratory
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In Vinnytsia, a court has sent a 27-year-old man behind bars who turned his chemical skills into a profitable but deadly business. The former chemistry Olympiad winner created an underground drug lab that brought him hundreds of thousands of hryvnias a month. During searches, more than 20 kilograms of psychotropic drugs, hundreds of kilograms of precursors, and professional laboratory equipment were found in his possession. Now he will have to spend 9 years in prison, and all his property was confiscated.
According to the Vinnytsia regional police, the man rented a private house where he set up a real laboratory – with chemical reactors, scales, reagents and packaging for the “goods”. He personally synthesized amphetamine, mephedrone and alpha-PVP, and organized sales via the Telegram channel. Clients paid in cryptocurrency or by bank cards, and “bookmarks” were made both in Vinnytsia and in other regions.
Law enforcement officers got on the trail of the laboratory in March 2025. The SBU and KORD fighters were involved in the special operation. As a result, more than 20 kg of psychotropic drugs, about 100 kg of precursors, almost 300 kg of chemical reagents, money, bank cards, phones, a car and crypto assets were seized. According to police estimates, Dmytro’s “production” was valued at more than 20 million hryvnias on the black market.
Experts confirmed that the seized substances contained a particularly dangerous psychotropic substance — PVP. The prosecutor’s office proved that the man independently produced more than 20 kg of this substance for sale. The court found him guilty under several articles of the Criminal Code, in particular for illegal production and sale of psychotropic substances, storage of precursors and organization of a place for drug production.
According to the local publication “We Vinnytsia People”, this is Dmytro Polhuly, a graduate of Lyceum No. 35, who once won victories at Olympiads. After school, he entered a local university, but applied his knowledge not in science, but in criminal business.
At the trial, Dmytro pleaded guilty and repented. He explained that he wanted to atone for his guilt by joining the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The court took into account his repentance, but still sentenced him to 9 years in prison with full confiscation of his property — a Toyota RAV4, equipment, cash, and cryptocurrency.
The court ordered the destruction of laboratory equipment and chemicals. The man will also be charged over 620,000 hryvnias spent on examinations. He will remain in custody until the verdict becomes final, but he has the right to appeal the decision within a month.
Recall that a disturbing trend has been recorded in Ukraine – drug addiction has increased among adolescents aged 15-16 . Despite the decrease in alcohol consumption in this age category, there is an increase in the proportion of young people experimenting with narcotic substances, in particular “hard” ones.
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