“Today, investigators of the MIA of Russia Investigation Department charged in absentia the former chairman of the Democratic Party of the Republic of Moldova, Vladimir Plakhotniuk, and his confidant, professional athlete Konstantin Tsutsu, with the crime provided for by paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 210 of the Russian Criminal Code, respectively, as well as with 28 episodes of smuggling and illegal sale of narcotic drugs on a large scale.

The Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia is investigating a criminal case against leaders and participants of a transnational criminal community who have organized a channel for smuggling particularly large quantities of narcotic drug - hashish from North Africa in transit through the EU countries to the CIS countries and their subsequent illegal sale, including the sale in the Russian Federation.

This criminal community in the form of an association of organized groups (structural units) between June and August 2012 was created and headed by Oleg Prutyanu and other people from among the natives of the Republic of Moldova and the Kingdom of Spain.

As a result of investigative actions and operational search activities carried out from August 2012 to June 2019, by officers of the Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, MIA of Russia GA for Drug Control together with foreign colleagues from the Republics of Moldova, Belarus and the Kingdom of Spain within the framework of the special operation “The Iberian Rogue”, more than 60 participants of the International Drug Syndicate were established and brought to criminal liability. Over 1 ton of narcotic hashish was seized from the illicit trafficking.

During the investigation, it was established that the former chairman of the Democratic Party of Moldova, Vladimir Plakhotniuk, having possibilities for influencing the political situation and state authorities, using criminal methods of influencing people who opposed him, for the purpose of personal enrichment entered into a criminal conspiracy with the leaders of organized crime of the Republic of Moldova, including those occupying top positions in the criminal hierarchy.

According to the available information, not later than in 2012, Vladimir Plakhotniuk became one of the leaders of a criminal transnational drug syndicate and patronized its participants. The interaction with the organizer of the criminal community, Oleg Prutyanu, as well as immediate control over this area of criminal activity, as directed by Vladimir Plakhotniuk, was exercised by Moldovan professional athlete Konstantin Tsutsu, a former deputy of the Parliament from the Democratic Party of Moldova, a confidant of Plakhotniuk.

As a result of hard work, investigators and operative officers managed to reveal a complex scheme of illegal activities of a multilevel secret criminal organization in Russia and other countries, collect evidence confirming the existence of criminal ties among accomplices, their common cause and the purpose of extracting income from drug trafficking. The preliminary investigation of the criminal case continues,” said the official representative of the MIA of Russia Irina Volk.