Eight Tajikistan nationals jailed in Russia for robberies against entrepreneurs in Moscow and Moscow oblast

The Moscow regional court has sentenced eight nationals of Tajikistan to jail terms of between 8½ and 16 years, Natalia Grigoryeva, a spokeswoman for the Moscow oblast chief prosecutor’s office, told Vechernyaya Moskva (Evening Moscow) on November 30.

According to her, the sentence followed their conviction on charges of robbery, theft of firearms, and participation in a stable armed group or in attacks carried out by it.   They will serve their terms in a high-security penal colony.  

Ms. Grigoryeva says the defendants were members of an armed criminal gang that had raided the private homes of businessmen.

“In attacks, they used firearms, gas and traumatic weapons, threatening their victims with reprisals in case of disobedience.  They seized money and other valuables.  The total damage from the actions of convicts is estimated at 11.5 million Russian rubles," Grigoryeva said, noting that the criminal were detained in 2014.