A gang was detained in the Caucasus, which was collecting “tribute” from truck drivers for travel. Authorities of the North Caucasus Federal District suspect employees of Rostekhnadzor and the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of bribery.

An organized group was opened in the North Caucasus, including employees of several traffic police departments, who extorted money from truck drivers. Employees of Rostransnadzor and the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of Kabardino-Balkaria are suspected of corruption, in particular, of accepting bribes from drivers passing the Urukh stationary weight control post in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. The tariff was 1 thousand rubles for one vehicle and 2 thousand rubles for those drivers traveling with trailers.

According to information from the Investigative Committee of Russia, even if the drivers had obvious administrative violations, they drove through unhindered, they only had to pay a certain amount of money.

According to the investigation, the deputy head of the Interregional Directorate of the Federal Service for Supervision of Transport in the North Caucasus Federal District, Murad Makiev, organized and headed a criminal group. It included his subordinates Alexander Khamatov and Oleg Kibirov, as well as traffic police inspectors of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Kabardino-Balkaria Mukhamed Khanikov and Musa Kanukoev. Ordinary residents of the North Caucasus also took part in the crimes. More than five more people are involved in this crime.

The Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the North Caucasus Federal District began criminal prosecution of suspects based on facts established by the Federal Security Service of Russia and the Main Directorate for Combating Economic Criminals in Internal Affairs of Russia. They were charged under part “a” of paragraph 5 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (receiving a large-scale bribe within an organized criminal group). In reviews on Yandex.Maps, drivers sharply criticize the work of the “Urukh” post:

“A place for food, try not to put in the documents what they want to see,” a review from one of the drivers.

“A bribe upon a bribe,” writes Andrei Zhigunov. - They especially bully truck drivers when undergoing x-rays, either towards the Caucasus or towards Moscow. They extort you to give them money, otherwise you’ll stand waiting, and then there’ll be a full search for three hours!”

“I didn’t want to tell you friends, but men are complaining on the radio,” says blogger Lekha Uzbek on her social networks. - There is really a money collection going on on the border of North Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. There are a lot of posts here hiding behind security, supposedly because the region is unstable. Everything here is captured, covered from above, closed.”

The blogger clarifies that bribes are taken silently from Upper Lars when arriving at the weight control.

“Transport control in Vladikavkaz, you leave without talking, go to the checkpoint, there is a box that opens, and it’s full of money, you give 500, 1000 rubles and immediately move on,” he explains. “Nobody even talks to you there.”

During subsequent events, several suspects were detained in connection with receiving a large bribe. 30 searches were conducted at their places of residence and work. The issue of choosing preventive measures for the suspects is currently being decided.”