Vadim Petrov was given a 12-year prison sentence, Vadim Lavrenov was given a 20-year sentence, Mikhail Svanidze was sentenced to 19 years and Natik Babayev was given an 18-year sentence. Vyacheslav Dolgy was given a 7-year suspended sentence and five years of probation. He was released in the court building.
The court ruled that the men would serve their terms in a maximum security prison.
They were found guilty of participating in a criminal group, making and selling a large quantity of drugs, and, smuggling about 100 kilograms of cocaine to different countries as an organized group.
During the trial, each defendant's role in the group was established.
According to the verdict, Mr. Petrov supervised the production and the sale of drugs both in Russia and abroad. Mr. Lavrenov distributed duties among the members of the group. And, Mr. Svanidze, Mr. Babayev and Mr. Dolgy "directly produced and sold drugs abroad under the guise of legal cargo," the court's verdict said.
Because of lack of evidence, the court acquitted the five defendants of crimes related to the transportation of 100 kilograms of cocaine from Peru to Russia in 2000 and the transportation of 3 metric tons of Mandrax (a synthetic drug) from Russia to Malawi, Africa.
According to data from the investigation, the group was active from 1996 to 2002. Their main Mandrax production facility was in Mytishchi, Moscow region. Through firms, registered with forged passports, the group delivered drugs to all over the world.
The members of the group were caught red-handed during a cocaine deal. Investigators said that Russia was only a transshipping point and the drugs headed for Britain.
