Penza, 4 December 2013. PenzaNews. A member of the Penza region Legislative Assembly of the fifth convocation representing the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Andrei Zuev was detained by the law enforcement agencies on suspicion of a gang organization.

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“According to the investigation, at the end of the 1990s in the village of Chaadaevka of the Gorodischensky area there was formed a criminal gang, which main purpose was getting a big profit by establishing a criminal control over economic activities of entrepreneurs and organizations by knocking out debts. The armed gang was called “Zuevskie” after the last name of their leader. By 2000, by the decision of Andrei Zuev the gang got the support of other criminal lords, thus “Zuevskie” spread their criminal activities to the territory of Penza and the entire region,” the Senior Assistant of the Head of the Investigative Department of Investigative Committee in Penza, Media relations division, Lyudmila Fomina told news agency PenzaNews on Wednesday, December 4.

She said that committing serious or extremely serious crimes, the gang won its place in the criminal environment, increasing the income by extortion and protection of commercial structures.

“The members of “Zuevskie” gang enrolled people, got armed by purchasing firearms, traumatic guns, ammunition in various ways, created a budget in the form of so-called common fund. To cover up the criminal activities Andrei Zuev organized a private security company, which employees were members of the criminal gang. As a result, they evolved into a robust armed gang, which criminal activities’ sphere was constantly growing, the membership increased, and its organizational structure turned into hierarchy with the sole leader Andrei Zuev,” the agency interlocutor said.

Lyudmila Fomina explained that, according to the investigation, since the beginning of 2000s Andrei Zuev and five armed group members of the gang committed a series of crimes with firearms and traumatic weapon against entrepreneurs and residents of the Penza region.

“Currently, five criminal cases are considered within one procedure upon extortion, causing bodily harm, robbery and other crimes. Investigators in cooperation with police officers perform necessary investigative operations aimed at identifying all the episodes of the criminal activities of the gang, identifying other participants of the armed group and bringing them to justice,” the agency interlocutor said.

According to her, along with the gang leader, five members of the armed group were detained upon Art. 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation.

“In the near future, pre-trial restraint in the form of custody will be imposed to the detained,” the Senior Assistant of the Head of the Investigative Department of Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Penza region Lyudmila Fomina concluded.