Murmansk counterfeit alcohol group to stand trial
The illicit operation involved five people from the Murmansk region.
In the Murmansk region, the investigation of a criminal case against five members of an organized group has been completed; they are accused of illegal manufacture and distribution of alcohol-containing products.
A Murmansk resident born in 1965 purchased equipment for producing counterfeit alcohol, including a 200-liter tank, blending containers, glass bottles, water, and alcohol raw materials. He drew three male acquaintances and a woman into the dubious business, assigning them duties. The northerners made alcohol in garages on Papinina Street, affixed labels of well-known brands to the bottles, and then sold it through retail outlets controlled by the organizer of the criminal scheme.
«Within the group, strict secrecy and discipline measures were in place, aimed at uninterrupted production and sale of illegal products,» noted the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) for the Murmansk region.
Operatives from the economic security department of the MVD shut down the criminal activity. 12,000 liters of alcohol-containing products were seized from the garage boxes.
The defendants have been charged with crimes under points «a» and «b» of Part 2 of Article 171.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation («Illegal production, distribution of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products by an organized group, on an especially large scale»), subpoints «a» and «b» of Part 6 of Article 171.1 («Production, acquisition, storage, transportation, or sale of goods and products without labeling by a group of persons, on an especially large scale»), Part 3 of Article 180 («Illegal use of means of individualization of goods, committed by an organized group»), and point «b» of Part 6 of Article 327.1 («Manufacture, sale of counterfeit excise stamps, federal special stamps, special stamps, means of identification or conformity marks, committed by an organized group»).
Recall that the case of the former chairman of the Murmansk Tourism Committee has been transferred to court; he is accused of negligence.
