Ex-Official Given 12.5 Years for Cannabis in Containers

In Yekaterinburg, a verdict was handed down to former head of the land farming and seed production department of the regional Ministry of Agro-Industrial Complex and Consumer Market, Igor Krupsky. Law enforcement believes he organized drug labs in shipping containers in Beloyarsky.

«Igor Krupsky was sentenced to 12.5 years in a strict-regime colony. The second defendant — Igor Sokolov — was sent to prison for 12 years,» the joint press service of the courts of Sverdlovsk Oblast told E1.RU.

This was exactly the punishment the state prosecutor had requested during the closing arguments.

Law enforcement detained Krupsky, his firefighter friend Kamil Galimzyanov, businessman Igor Sokolov, and fitness trainer Semyon Zelinsky in late 2024. The investigation believes the group cultivated cannabis for further sale from 2023 until their capture.

The containers stood in the yard of Galimzyanov«s house in the village of Kochnevskoye. According to investigators, the organizer of the criminal scheme was Igor Krupsky: he purchased the necessary equipment and assigned roles to the other defendants. For example, Galimzyanov was to care for the plants for further processing into drugs, as well as handle packaging and sales. After that, he recorded the work done in reports and submitted them to Krupsky, the state prosecutor said in court.

«The examination showed that the seized items are indeed narcotic substances — parts of cannabis plants, hashish, and marijuana. The total weight of the drugs was over 21 kg. In addition, special equipment for growing crops was found in the premises. The Investigative Unit of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for Yekaterinburg sent more than ten volumes of the criminal case against the accused to the court,» the city police press group noted.

The gang members adhered to secrecy measures. They avoided personal meetings, preferring calls over secure communication channels. In total, they managed to grow over 143 cannabis plants. Igor Krupsky admitted guilt only in part regarding cultivation. Entrepreneur Sokolov categorically disagrees with the charges.

«I admit that I stored substances for personal use, which were found at my home,» he commented on the indictment in court.

In contrast, former firefighter Galimzyanov, who was charged with five counts related to cannabis cultivation and illegal trafficking of prohibited substances, pleaded guilty (he made a plea deal with the investigation). The court sentenced him to 5.5 years in a general-regime colony. Trainer Zelinsky joined the special military operation during the investigation.

Everything known about Krupsky is gathered in this article. Initially he was in a pre-trial detention center, and later the preventive measure was significantly eased. He came to court hearings on his own.

Also read about how a lawyer organized his own drug lab. Law enforcement shut it down.