MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) – Police in Krasnoyarsk detained a criminal gang that distributed synthetic drugs, during a search, operatives seized over 40 kilograms of “spice,” the website of the regional Interior Ministry administration reported on Thursday.
As police determined, seven young people aged 25 to 30 produced and sold various types of “spice” to residents of Krasnoyarsk over the Internet. During the search, police officers seized seven types of narcotic substances with a total weight of over 41 kilograms, as well as computer equipment that contained a client database. The regional administration of the Interior Ministry also reports that the seized narcotics are the biggest batch of “spice” in Krasnoyarsk in the last several years.
“From the narcotics seized by police, the conspirators planned to earn up to 50 million rubles (around $1.25 million) ... This channel of production and sale of narcotic and psychotropic substances has been completely shut down,” the release states.
All members of the gang have been detained. A criminal proceeding has been initiated according to criminal code article “illegal production, sale or shipment of narcotic substances on a particularly large scale.” According to Russian law, it provides for up to 20 years of imprisonment.
Attention to crimes around the consumption of “spice” in Russia spiked after mass poisonings with smoking mixes began in mid-September. Over 700 people suffered poisoning, and of them around 30 have died. The new “killer spice” contains the substance MDMB, that is still not in the list of prohibited substances. The corresponding procedure has been initiated, but is being stalled due to legal intricacies.
