DUSHANBE, July 13, 2016, Asia-Plus – Three of five officers of the recently abolished Russian Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) involved in smuggling heroin into Novosibirsk out of Tajikistan have got lengthy jail terms.  All of them were officers of the FSKN’s office in Novosibirsk oblast  

A court in Novosibirsk on July 12 sentenced Alexander Vasilyev, Mikhail Kushnir and Alexander Yakushev to 13, 12 and 5 years in prison respectively.  The court also imposed a 400,000-ruble fine on Vasilyev and Kushnir.

Two other former drug control officers – Sokolov and Markin – were given a four-year suspended sentence each.

The court also revoked their ranks

Besides, former police officer Aleskey Barnikov and two residents of Novosibirsk – Ilhom Shomirsaidov and Dmitry Kornev – were handed sentences between 7 and 14 years.

Aleksey Barnikov was sentenced to 8 years in prison, while Kornev and Shomirsaidov were sentenced to 7 and 1 4 years in prison respectively.  The court imposed a 400,000-rible fine on Barnikov, a 400,000-ruble fine on Kornev and a 500,000-rublу fine on Shomirsaidov. 

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, investigation has established that former drug control officers and former policeman on October 10, 2013 organized smuggling of nearly 20 kilograms of heroin into Novosibirsk out of Tajikistan.