Five suspects have been charged and are currently in custody. Each could face up to 12 years in prison with asset confiscation.

The SBU officers in the Odessa region, in cooperation with the police, uncovered this group under the procedural guidance of the prosecutor's office.

According to law enforcement, a 26-year-old man with previous convictions led a gang focused on extorting money from citizens. He was joined by four men aged between 22 and 33, two of whom also had criminal records.

The "leader" identified potential victims and monitored the extortion process through various communication channels, distributing the illegally obtained funds among his accomplices. The latter surrounded victims in public places, threatening them with physical violence to repay fabricated debts, and pursued them until they received what they wanted.

Police documented instances of extortion against three local residents. One man was coerced into handing over $600, of which they managed to collect $300. Another lost 8000 hryvnias and was forced to agree to weekly payments. A third was presented with a "debt" of $10,000, from which they immediately took $500 and 8000 hryvnias.

The perpetrators were apprehended while receiving a second installment of $7000 from the last victim.

During authorized searches at their homes and in the detention center, investigators seized mobile phones containing evidence of their criminal activities and SIM cards, which they frequently changed to cover their tracks.

The suspects have been detained, and they have already been charged with extortion involving threats of violence committed by an organized group. The maximum penalty for this crime is 12 years of imprisonment and asset forfeiture.

The court has chosen preventive measures in the form of detention without the right to bail for four of the arrested individuals. Investigations are ongoing.