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The Major Investigations Office of the Crimean Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee has finished investigating a criminal case against Andrey Laptev, one of the leaders of a gang. He is accused of crimes under part 1 of article 209 of the RF Penal Code (banditry), paragraphs “a”, “b”, “f”, “g” and “h” of part 2 of article 105 (murder), part 3 of article 30, paragraphs “a”, “b”, “f”, “g” of part 2 of article 105 (attempted murder), part 1 of article 30, paragraphs “a”, “f”, “g” of part 2 of article 105 (plotting a murder), paragraph “a” of part 3 of article 163 (extortion).

According to investigators, a gang called Kazinovskaya, as it was initially based in Eldorado casino, acted in the town of Kerch and Lenino District in the period between 1994 and 2005. The gang had about 50 people and Andrey Laptev was one of its leaders. As a rule, the gang involved people with military or sports training and skillful with firearms. From the very beginning the gang involved chief of corruption and organized crime office of Kerch town department of the Main Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine and Autonomous Republic of Crimea Sergey Markov (at present the case against him has been sent to court to be tried on the merits). The gang and its divisions had a strict discipline and hierarchy based on subordination of its rank-and-file members to leaders, execution by controlled groups of explicit tasks and criminal pots, they had a financial basis, made up by criminal ways part of which was spent to reward members of the gang. To arm the gang they bought Russian and foreign-made firearms, ammunitions, grenades and TNT bombs. The gangsters carried firearms, ammunitions, explosives and explosive devices and stored in garages they rented out in Kerch. When preparing for the crime Laptev provided the perpetrators with necessary weapons from the stock. The gangsters actively used phones and met personally during their actions. To make the gang more mobile and secretive the gangsters bought Russian and foreign-made cars and police uniforms. Other leaders of the gang were shot dead in Interclub restaurant on 31 May 1996, so Laptev became the leader. Over the period the gang acted, Laptev committed in the cities of Kerch, Feodosia, Simferopol and Lenino District, Crimea 42 serious and very serious crimes including 29 murders, including murders of rival gangs: Feki, Adar, Grifon, Seilem and others. After the activity of the gang was broken in August 2005, Laptev moved from Crimea to Russia.

As a result of well-planned and efficient investigative operations the accused was detained in December 104 in Moscow, then delivered back to Crimea and remanded in custody there. A lot of investigative operations were done, at least 200 complicated forensic inquiries were run. The investigators have to do meticulous job as there were a lot of crimes committed a long time ago.

High level of professionalism of the investigators allowed gathering enough evidence proving that the accused was involved in the said crimes. The criminal case of 98 volumes with the approved indictment will soon be forwarded to court to be tried on the merits.