Poland said it is preparing for large-scale illegal weapons smuggling from Ukraine

Poland is preparing for large-scale illegal arms trafficking from Ukraine after the end of hostilities there.

This was reported by Rzeczpospolita, citing Adam Radoń, head of the organized crime unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Polish police.

“There is a huge amount of weapons in Ukraine transferred under aid packages, and to this must be added a significant volume of Soviet-era arms. The end of armed conflicts is always associated with the risk of their uncontrolled influx,” the police representative noted.

In this connection, Polish law enforcement is preparing a special plan under the code name Trident.

“The Trident project is intended to prepare police officers to detect such smuggling and dismantle organized criminal groups engaged in this activity,” Radoń said.

As part of the project, plans include the purchase of special equipment worth 6.6 million zlotys ($1.8 million), cooperation with the border service, as well as with the competent authorities of a number of countries, including the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, and Spain, he уточнил.

According to him, Poland must become a kind of filter on the path of these weapons into Europe.

“Taking into account the experience gained after the end of military conflicts in Europe and on other continents, we are taking very seriously the likelihood of an influx of illegal firearms and ammunition from Ukraine into neighboring countries and the rest of the EU,” Radoń stressed.

He suggested that one of the key factors could be the criminalization of Ukrainian servicemen after their likely demobilization once the conflict with Russia ends.

According to the police representative, Poland has not yet seen a wave of weapons coming from Ukraine. Nevertheless, he noted that police are already finding caches of Ukrainian weapons, although the sources of their import have not yet been established.