In Volgograd, police officer suspected of drug dealing

An employee of the Russian MIA's Chief Department for the Southern Federal District (SFD) is accused of planting a kilo of heroin into the car of Alexander Afanasiev, Director of the OBI Supermarket, against whom a criminal proceeding was later instituted on drug dealing.

"Afanasiev was detained by policemen following the information they had received from Police Captain Dmitry Shavelev, an authorized officer of the MIA's Chief Department for the SFD, that the OBI Director had plenty of drug in his car. A search of the car, in which Shavelev also took part, revealed 1 kilo of heroin," Mikhail Muzraev, head of the Investigatory Committee of the Volgograd Region, said today at a press conference.

He reported that on October 21, 2010, a criminal case was initiated against Afanasiev by the Chief Investigatory Department (CID) of the GUVD (Chief Interior Department) for the Volgograd Region. Six days later, by decision of the Regional Prosecutor's Office, the criminal case was withdrawn from the CID and transferred to the Investigatory Department of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for the Volgograd Region.

"It seemed that everything is clear and the case was no problem; however, our investigators managed to establish that in fact the drug was planted, and Shavelev himself was involved in the crime," said Muzraev. He added that on May 12 Shavelev was detained, and on May 13 the court sanctioned his arrest.

The police captain was charged under part 3, Article 228, note 1, of the Criminal Code (illegal sale of narcotic drugs in particularly large volume). The Article assumes imprisonment for 8-20 years, the "Interfax" reports.

Muzraev did not disclose the motives of the crime. "There are motives, but other people are involved; therefore, we won't disclose them (the motives)," the "firstnews.ru" quotes Muzraev as saying.

Nothing is reported so far about the position of the suspect or his lawyers.