The leader of the gang, a well-known criminal authority nicknamed "Komar" ["Mosquito"], was detained.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on October 5.
Together with him, two other members of the gang were detained, among them is a sanctioned criminal authority who has influence in the criminal environment.
For more than 10 years, the gang has been "extorting" money from residents of the Vinnytsia region for non-existent debts. The men created artificial conflicts and then demanded large sums of money for a "peaceful" resolution of disputes. If people refused to pay "tribute", they and their relatives were threatened.
Thus, the leader of the "Komar" gang and his accomplices demanded $20 000 from a local businessman and threatened to kill him if he did not pay the money. The gang was detained while handing over the first part of the "tribute" in the amount of $10 000.
During searches of the menʼs homes, they found:
- firearms, traumatic and melee weapons;
- "debt" receipts from victims and draft records with "accounting" of paid money;
- large sums of cash;
- cell phones with evidence.
Members of the gang were charged under Article 189, and they have already been arrested. The men face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.