TASHKENT. Nov 15 (Interfax) - Five members of a criminal group, which organized a major human trafficking channel to Russia, have been sentence to four to eight and a half years in Uzbekistan, the Uzbek Supreme Court press office told Interfax on November 14.
"The group leader, Musulmanin Tursunov, has been sentenced to eight years and six months. Four of his accomplices have been sentenced to between four and seven years and six months depending of the gravity of the crime committed," the press office said.
According to the information of the press office, it has been determined during the pre-trial investigation that members of the criminal group sent 260 residents of the Qashqadaryo district to Russia under false pretenses and received between 2,000 and 5,000 rubles from employers for each of them. Upon their arrival to Russia, these persons' passports were taken from them and they were forced to work under inhumane conditions never receiving the money promised to them.
The illegally obtained assets of the criminal group amounted to a total of 370 million sum ($1/2182.90) and was confiscated by the state.