Arrest Made in Illegal Weapon Manufacturing Case
A man has been charged under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and is facing a significant prison sentence.
The operations to uncover and halt the criminal activities were carried out by officers of the Strategic Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine in the Odessa region, in collaboration with investigators from the Odessa District Police Department No. 1 and the Security Service of Ukraine.
According to law enforcement, a 42-year-old man set up a workshop in his garage for weapon modification. He ordered firearm replicas and parts online, then used specialized tools to make structural changes, converting them into real firearms, which he sold in the Odessa region.
Law enforcement documented the sale of modified firearms for 39,000 hryvnias. With the support of the special police unit KORD, the suspect was arrested while sending another batch of “goods” to a buyer.
Investigators conducted a total of 10 searches in the suspect's vehicle, at his residence, at work, in garages, and other premises he had access to. As material evidence, a number of items resembling weapon replicas and their components, bullets and shells, magazines for various types of automatic weapons and pistols, as well as equipment used by the offender for manufacturing and modifying firearms were seized. All items have been sent for expert examination.
Additionally, cash in both foreign and national currencies, which the detainee presumably received from weapon sales, was confiscated. Police will investigate their origin during the inquiry.
Currently, investigators have informed the suspect of charges related to the illegal modification of firearms (part 1 of article 263-1 of the Criminal Code) and the illegal storage and sale of firearms without the required permits (part 1 of article 263 of the Criminal Code). The court has chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention with the right to post bail of 908,400 hryvnias.
The maximum penalty the suspect faces is seven years of imprisonment.
Investigative actions are ongoing. The procedural oversight in the case is being conducted by the Kyiv District Prosecutor's Office of Odessa.
