Donetsk, Feb 13 - DAN. Two Lugansk People’s Republic residents were detained in Donetsk on suspicion of involvement in sales of hard drugs in the Donbass Republics, the Donetsk People’s Republic Interior Ministry press service reported on Thursday.

“The DPR and LPR police departments for combating organised crime and drug trafficking carried out an operation to eliminate an online drug-trafficking ring in the DPR,” the press service said.

The investigators said the suspects had arranged drug packaging at a rented apartment in Donetsk. Then they stashed drugs in towns across the DPR. Messengers were used to communicate with the dealers.

A search in the drug traffickers’ apartment in Donetsk found some 40 grams of psychedelic substances including amphetamine, methadone, ecstasy and alpha-PVP worth some 260,000 rubles, according to the press service.

Criminal proceedings against the detainees were instituted under DPR Criminal Code Article 263 (illegal production, sale or sending a large quantity of psychedelic substances or analogs, committed by a colluding group). If found guilty, they face up to 15 years in prison and a 500,000-ruble fine.*jk