Based on the materials provided by the Komi Republic police department and the Office of the Federal Security Service the Komi Republic Office of the Investigative Committee has initiated criminal proceedings against the leader and members of the so-called Pichugin’s gang suspected of setting up a criminal organization, membership in it and illegal purchase, transfer, transportation and storage of firearms, its parts and ammunition under Parts 210 and 222 of the RF Penal Code.
According to investigators, since 1994, Yuri Pichugin was a kingpin and set up a gang in the Komi Republic to commit major crimes for money and other material benefit. He Involved in his gang some athletes and people trained in special units of the army and law enforcement authorities.
At first the gangsters used different methods, including damaging property and physical violence to illegally taking money from businessmen for providing their security and protecting their property. The money and property taken formed a common fund.
Other sources of funding were money transferred from convicts who managed to commit crimes even while serving in prisons, from other people who committed crimes systematically, as well as stealing from shops, robberies, stealing of oil products, phone and real estate frauds.
In the late 90s Pichugin imposed single norms of conduct for all the gangsters, a system of sanctions for violation of those norms, rules of safety and secrecy. It was then when the gang became hierarchical, united, stable, established its system of secrecy and protection against law enforcers and began acting on a large scale.
From 2003 to 2006, the gangsters started investing their money into legal businesses: cafes and restaurants, entertainment organizations, passenger and cargo transportation companies and lumbering firms.
The investigators together with agents of regional offices of the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of the Interior have conducted searches and found stashes of firearms. Today they have searched residences of Pichugin and other gangsters in Moscow, Pyatigorsk and Syktyvkar. The leader and seven gangsters have been detained and are now expecting a custodial restraint.
The investigation is ongoing.
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