The court released the leader of the gang of killers Gagiev from punishment for illegal arms trafficking

The military Court of appeal has released the head of Russia's largest criminal group, Aslan Gagiev, nicknamed Jacko, from punishment for arms trafficking, but the criminal boss's life sentence remains in force. This was reported to Izvestia in court on April 7.

The court has completed consideration of the complaint of Gagiev's lawyer against the life sentence imposed by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don in the fall of 2023.

Jacko was released from punishment under Part 3 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition as part of an organized group") due to the expiration of the statute of limitations of the crime. Otherwise, the verdict remained unchanged.

According to the investigation, in 2004 Gagiev organized a criminal group that operated in Moscow, the Moscow region and North Ossetia. There were at least 50 participants. Then, no later than November 2012, Gagiev organized three gangs in North Ossetia, which were part of his criminal community. From 2012 to 2013, six people were killed in the republic on Gagiev's instructions, including Oleg Oziev, Deputy prosecutor of the Industrial District of Vladikavkaz. In 2015, Gagiev was detained in Austria and only extradited to Moscow in 2018.

In September 2023, Gagiev was sentenced to life imprisonment. At the same time, the defendant stated during his testimony that he had nothing to do with contract killings and did not consider himself guilty. In addition, 12 members of his gang received sentences ranging from 12 years to life in prison on charges of dozens of murders.