Old California cannabis dispensary photo falsely shared as Ukrainian MP Tyshchenko’s safe

What's the claim?

An image showing a cabinet filled with stacks of cash is circulating widely on social media, accompanied by claims that it allegedly shows the safe of Ukrainian MP Mykola Tyshchenko. The image has been shared with claims that it represents one of Tishchenko's safes, suggesting misuse of $200 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money.

On June 26, 2024, the Prosecutor General formally charged Tyshchenko on suspicion of unlawfully imprisoning a former serviceman in Dnipro. During searches at Tyshchenko's residence, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) found substantial amounts of cash in Euros and U.S. dollars, as reported by Obozrevatel and Ukrainian National News.  

Amid these developments, the image went viral on X captioned "Update: Biden Administration is money laundering through Ukraine! One of the safes belonging to Ukrainian MP Tishchenko! This is where $200 billion dollars in our tax money is going!! Biden gets 10%." One such post has garnered approximately 44,200 views.

Archived versions of these and similar posts can be found here, here, and here.

Screenshots of social media posts. (Source: X/Facebook/Screenshot)

Similar narratives have been circulated on Facebook, with archived posts available here and here.

However, the viral image is not recent, and Reuters initially published it in May 2021. It depicts money from cannabis sales stored in a safe at a California dispensary.

What we found

Through a reverse image search, we found the viral image included in a Reuters report by Shariq Khan titled "Focus: U.S. pot sellers stash cash as banks leave them high and dry," published on May 24, 2021. The viral image was one of four included in the article.

The caption below the image stated that it was a handout picture obtained by Reuters, stating: "Money from cannabis sales is stored in a safe at a California dispensary before it is picked up and deposited at a bank or credit union, in California, U.S., May 19, 2021, in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on May 21, 2021. Operational Security Solutions/Handout via REUTERS."

Screenshot of the Reuters report from May 2021. (Source: Reuters/Markup by Logically Facts)

Khan's report highlights the cash flow challenges of the U.S. cannabis industry and how, despite marijuana's legality for medical and recreational use in numerous states, federal regulations prevent most banks from servicing the industry to mitigate potential money laundering risks. The article underscores that amid the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing legalization, businesses in the sector—producers, manufacturers, and retailers—are managing significant cash volumes.

Logically Facts has contacted Reuters regarding the image, and we will update this fact check if and when we receive a response. 

In May 2024, BBC News reported that a Ukrainian member of parliament had been charged with embezzling over £220,000 by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). Though the politician's identity remains undisclosed, Ukrainian media outlets have named Andriy Klochko as the accused, the BBC report added. Klochko is a member of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party.

However, since the image has been online since May 2021, it clearly predates any recent developments concerning corruption incidents in Ukraine.

The verdict

An old image from a 2021 Reuters article showing money from cannabis sales stored in a safe at a California dispensary has been shared with the false claim it shows the safe of Ukrainian MP Mykola Tyshchenko. While a substantial amount of cash was recently discovered in Tishchenko’s residence during a search involving the alleged unlawful imprisonment of a former serviceman, the viral image is unrelated. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.