Tatyana Troitskaya, the director of two firms, was given a six-year prison sentence, with five of them conditional, and a fine of about $1,200 after she was found guilty of illegally acquiring and selling large volumes of toxic substances.
Investigators established that Troitskaya had been involved in the criminal "toxic" business from 2000-2004 and yielded about $250,000.
Having shown three fake licenses to handle toxic waste and chemical substances to suppliers, major pharmaceutical and chemical enterprises, she promised to safely process and store the hazardous materials. Instead, she simply kept the toxic substances in warehouses in several towns in the region.
Experts said the materials posed a threat to human health and the environment and could lead to an explosion or spontaneous inflammation with ensuing consequences.
Investigators had to use gas masks and other individual means of protection while working at one of the storehouses.
