Takhi and Transbaikal watchers will not come out soon

The Trans-Baikal Regional Court has completed the consideration of a criminal case that lasted more than three years against ten members of an organized criminal community accused of committing over 150 different crimes. The leader of the community, a native of Georgia, Georgy Uglava, known in the criminal world as Takhi, received 18 years in prison for leading the group and committing a number of other crimes in the territory of Transbaikalia and Buryatia, his accomplices – from 8 to 20 years. The convicts do not admit their guilt and intend to appeal against the court decision.

The court session began with obscene language – the reaction of 61-year-old Georgy Uglava to the journalists entering the hall. Offensive remarks about media representatives and their professional qualities continued for several minutes. Throwing out emotions in this way, Uglava demanded medical assistance for himself. Arriving ambulance officers diagnosed him with high blood pressure and took him away under escort. The verdict was announced without the main accused.

“The court found that a previously convicted native of Georgia, known in criminal circles as a thief in law Takhi, in 2003, with the participation of other persons, created and led an organized criminal community for more than ten years. This was necessary in order to extract material benefits by committing grave and especially grave crimes on the territory of the Trans-Baikal Territory and beyond. At the same time, in most regions of Transbaikalia, there were structural units headed by their appointed leaders. Members of the community committed extortion, robbery, robbery, theft of cars, theft on an especially large scale, which had an extremely negative impact on the criminogenic situation, ”the essence of the accusations is listed in the message of the regional court.

Georgy Uglava was born in 1961 and was “crowned” in 1987. In the period from the 1980s to the 2000s, he was convicted four times for various crimes in Leningrad, Moscow and Tver. The last arrest took place on February 1, 2015 in Moscow, after which Uglava was transferred to Transbaikalia. The regional Ministry of Internal Affairs, which conducted the investigation, in the same year charged him and 16 other men with creating and leading a criminal community, a series of robberies, thefts, extortion and carjacking for further ransom by their owners.

In April 2017, Uglava, held in the pre-trial detention center, was sentenced by the Central District Court of Chita to three and a half years in prison for extortion from a businessman committed in 2007. The investigation of other crimes continued.

The Trans-Baikal Regional Court received a case on charges of organizing a criminal community in February 2020.

As the press service of the regional prosecutor’s office clarified, Takhi and nine other accomplices (the so-called looking after the city of Chita and the regions of Transbaikalia) were charged with committing more than 150 different crimes under Part 1, Part 2 and Part 4 of Art. 210 (creation of a criminal community, as well as participation in a criminal community), part 3 of Art. 163 (extortion committed by an organized group and on an especially large scale), Part 4 of Art. 158 (theft committed by an organized group), Part 4 of Art. 159 (fraud committed by an organized group and on an especially large scale), Part 3 of Art. 161 (robbery committed by an organized group), Part 4 of Art. 166 (illegal possession of a car committed by an organized group, causing especially large damage, with the use of violence dangerous to life or health, or the threat of such violence), Part 3 of Art. 30 and part 2 of Art. 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (attempted intentional destruction or damage to another’s property).

In particular, such an episode of extortion from Chita entrepreneurs of property worth 17 million rubles was presented in the regional court.

The volume of the criminal case amounted to 200 volumes (11 thousand sheets). During the process, 181 people were interrogated as witnesses and victims. The state prosecution during the debate requested for Uglava punishment in the form of 22 years in prison.

The court found Georgy Uglava guilty and sentenced him to 18 years in a strict regime colony. The punishment will be calculated from the moment of detention – from February 1, 2015. Takhi’s accomplices were sentenced to terms ranging from 8 to 20 years in prison. The verdict has not entered into force.

According to the regional prosecutor’s office, the criminal authority and the members of the group denied their “knowledge of the activities of the criminal community, involvement in it and the commission of crimes.” Defense officials intend to appeal the verdict.