The FSB detained the head of the drug control department (UNK) of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Sverdlovsk Region, Ivan Yergeledzhi. According to a Kommersant-Ural source, he is in a detention center on suspicion of fraud. The police are checking the security officer’s involvement in the crime and promise to take “adequate response measures” if the information is confirmed. The media had previously reported on the unsatisfactory psychological state of the UNK team, for which Colonel Yergeledzhi was reprimanded by the Moscow Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The detention of the head of the UNK of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Sverdlovsk Region, Ivan Yergeledzhi, became known on Monday, April 10. According to a Kommersant-Ural source close to law enforcement agencies, he is suspected under Part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud committed by an organized group or on an especially large scale). Now Colonel Yergeledzhi is in a temporary detention center, in the near future he should choose a measure of restraint.
According to the source of the 66.ru portal, the security official was detained in Pervouralsk when “one of the employees handed him money.” At the same time, there is allegedly no corruption component in the crime.
The press service of the FSB declined to comment. The head of the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Sverdlovsk Region, Valery Gorelykh, told Kommersant-Ural that police officers from the internal security unit of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the region are establishing “more detailed and precise circumstances of the incident.” “According to the results of the events, a reasonable decision will be made with the adoption of adequate response measures if information about the illegal activities of an official is confirmed,” said Colonel Gorelykh.
According to a Kommersant-Ural source, with the arrival of Ivan Yergeledzhi in the anti-drug department, internal problems began there: allegedly, the boss had a long conflict with his deputy Vladislav Gusev.
The city portal E1.ru reported that after the “reforms” that Ivan Yergeledzhi began to carry out in management, the detection rate of the anti-drug unit decreased. So, for 2022, according to various estimates, the figure fell from 30% to 35%, and the shortage of employees “is even approaching 40–50%.”
In addition, according to the publication, as a result of the check, which was carried out by the Moscow inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, UNK received “failed”. As a result, according to E1.ru, Ivan Yergeledzhi received a reprimand.
Andrey Kabanov, co-founder of the City Without Drugs Foundation, in a conversation with Kommersant-Ural noted that over the past few years, the police have “learned” how to deal with drug trafficking. “The Foundation no longer cooperates with law enforcement agencies on an operational line. Now, in almost 100% of cases, trade goes through the Internet and instant messengers, and the security forces have learned to track and stop sales, including through anonymous channels. I can’t say that this is Yergeledzhi’s merit, because I don’t know him or how he managed the unit, ”said Mr. Kabanov.