Elephant OPG (organized criminal group): description, composition and interesting facts

In the last decade of the last century, Russia was swept by a wave of criminal showdowns. During this period a huge number of organized criminal groups were created, each of which had a sphere of influence in this or that region of our country. Gangs that wielded throughout Russia competed among themselves for the right to get a "tidbit" in the manufacturing sector, bribing officials and frightening intractable businessmen. However, an ordinary citizen could suffer from the crime.

In the early 90's quickly gained strength and authority of the Elephant OPG. By its power, it was not much inferior to the "Solntsevo" or "nut". This only confirms the fact that in the criminal Russia "elephant" played far from a secondary role. How did this group become a major and influential criminal structure, and what was its final? Let's consider this issue in more detail.

How

Elephant OPG was established in 1991 in Ryazan. Initially, the gang was called "prezentovskoy" group, as the headquarters was in the restaurant "Present". Its ideological inspirers were the former driver of the deputy local prosecutor Nikolai Maksimov (nickname "Max") and the taxi driver Vyacheslav Ermolov (nickname "Elephant"). In honor of the second subsequently, the criminal community was renamed.

The beginning of criminal activity

The first cases of "elephant" were "soft" criminal shade. They took money from people by playing a "thimble", using, of course, not sleight of hand.

Having gained experience in fraud, the Elephant OPG started more serious deeds. Members of the gang began to turn criminal fraud in the automobile market, as a result of which buyers remained without money, and without transport. But after a little time, the Elephant OPG fell into the field of view of law enforcement officers and its members were arrested. But Max took all the blame, and the court handed him a "soft" sentence, giving a suspended sentence. Another leader, Vyacheslav Ermolov, was completely clean before the law: in his actions the detectives did not see the corpus delicti.

Thus, for the first time, the Elephant Organized Crime Grouping got off lightly enough.

The sphere of interests expands ...

After a while criminals paid attention to businessmen. They racketed "shuttle traders", "co-operators", entrepreneurs, demanding regular payments from them. At that time novice businessmen quite often bypassed the law and did not disdain to deal with "criminal" elements, who could settle all issues with officials for a certain amount. Even with the companies close to bankruptcy, they took "paid-off". The Elephant OPG, whose composition was mixed (ex-footballers, martial arts trainers, locksmiths, milling cutters, etc.) for beginners developed a rule: in order to prove their fitness, a "potential" gangster must find a new point that could be imposed Tribute.

But Ermolov and Maksimov eventually became closely "in the entrepreneurial environment," and they decided to "take under the roof" enterprises engaged in the manufacturing sector.

Structure

In the criminal community, there was a rigid hierarchical system: the lowest level was occupied by the soldiers, and they were led by the link.

To those who violated discipline, severe punishment was applied, including physical destruction. Several units formed a brigade. The manager of the brigade had a certain independence, controlling the territory entrusted to them. He could solve these or other issues independently, including financial ones. The foremen were accountable directly to Ermolov or his agents.

The struggle for spheres of influence

However, for the "elephant" not everything was so rosy. They began to block the path of competitors, namely: Kochetkovskaya, Airapetovskaya and Arkhipovskaya groupings, which also had considerable authority in Ryazan. At first, all parties tried to settle the conflicts that were brewing peacefully, but then the contradictions began to grow and resolve disputes without the use of weapons proved to be impossible. In 1993, on one of the "shooters" there was a clash between the gang leaders Viktor Ayrapetov and Vyacheslav Ermolov. The first professionally engaged in sports, and therefore won a fight with the leader of the "elephant". But Ermolov's associates wanted revenge for beating the chief. They made a raid on the bathhouse, in which the Airapetovs "soared", and began to beat them. However, Airapetov himself was not in the public institution, so the Elephant OPG (the city of Ryazan) considered the question of revenge open.

Disassembly continues

In the autumn of 1993, another "impact" on the gang of Viktor Ayrapetov occurred.

In the club of the "Riazelmash" plant, unknown people opened fire on the "Airapetists". Their leader, hiding from bullets behind the column, was not injured, but some of his co-defendants were shot. After this incident, Airapetov left for the capital and from there directed the "wards".

He decided to get rid of the offenders. In the spring of 1994 Max was shot from the gun. The leader of the "Elephants" group, Vyacheslav Ermolov, was to die after him. It was planned that during the farewell ceremony with Nikolai Maksimov in the Ascension Church, Sergei Manikin (member of Ayrapetov's gang) would blow up the "sacred place" where the "elephants" would be located, through a remote device. However, when the bandit was at a distance of a hundred and fifty feet from the temple, the explosive mechanism suddenly worked from the car alarm panel.

After that, the "elephant" already yearned for revenge. They killed Sergei Ayrapetov (the brother of the leader), who had never been involved in crime. It was expected that Victor would come to the funeral for his brother and then the "elephant bratva" would deal with him. But he did not come, ordering his accomplices to wage war with their rivals.

Only in the autumn of 1995 the Elephant OPG (Ryazan) was able to deal with Airapetov. The car of the leader was stopped by the Moscow OMON, whose employees put handcuffs on Victor and his guards. Dressed in the uniform of the siloviki, the "elephants" took Ayrapetov to an unknown destination, and a week later in Moscow, on the side of Ryazan Highway, his corpse was found.

The experts calculated that during the period from 1994 to 1996 the wards of Vyacheslav Ermolov performed more than eighty custom-made murders.

Epoch of reign of "elephant" in Ryazan

Eliminating the main competitor in matters represented by Viktor Ayrapetov, the "elephant" became one of the most powerful criminal groups in the country. They boldly went to successful entrepreneurs and imposed their services on them. A severe punishment awaited for the rebellious. As already emphasized, the Slovan OPG imposed even unprofitable and hopeless enterprises on tribute. Over time, the "client base" of the gang was so swollen that a clear timetable was drawn up who should go to Ryazan and when. Money racketeers brought to the central stadium.

In the field of view of the gangsters there were also Roma who were engaged in drug trafficking. One day one of them did not want to pay tribute to the "elephant", and then they hacked him with an ax, and his pregnant wife was brutally beaten.

A few more income items

At the end of 1993, fraudulent schemes began to be implemented with postal credit advice notes. The Elephant OPG could not but take this kind of "criminal" earnings into circulation. On deception with false advice the bandits "earned" 900 million rubles. After they made an attempt to cause damage to 19 billion rubles, but it was unsuccessful.

The criminals also took profits from the tourist activities, money from the tours through the Yesenin places fell directly into their pockets. To increase the amount of financial income, the Elephant organized crime group and the organization of financial pyramids did not disdain.

The final

But, in the end, there were people in the law enforcement system who declared war on criminal groups in Russia. Among them is the investigator of the regional prosecutor's office Dmitry Plotkin. Analyzing the situation, the detective understood that without the well-coordinated work of the law enforcement bodies, the Elephant OPG (one of the most violent groups) can escape retaliation.

The case was unleashed

An investigative brigade was formed, which in addition to the investigator included UBOP employees Vladimir Tsepkov and Alexander Makarov, as well as a number of representatives of law enforcement agencies. It was decided first of all to deprive the OPG of its leaders and ideological inspirers. Then it was necessary to work to ensure that ordinary members of the gang agreed to testify, incriminating their bosses in committing crimes. The clear and coordinated activities of the team were very soon marked by the expected results. Even in the capture of criminals, the governor of the Ryazan region even helped.

Detectives could establish the guilt of the "elephant brotherhood" in committing murders, robberies, frauds, extortions committed in the territory of their native region.

The investigators charged 22 heads of the "elephant" grouping and all of them received substantial terms of imprisonment. However, Vyacheslav Ermolov and two bandits (Alexandr Gorelov, Sergey Danilevich) managed to escape from arrest, but ordinary "elephants" told about criminal affairs of their boss, after which this criminal group disintegrated. "At all" "elephants" earned as much as 214 years of imprisonment with a small.

Vyacheslav Ermolov and some other managers of the Elephant OPG are on the federal wanted list, according to unofficial information, the group leader lives in Europe.

However, there is a point of view according to which the gang has not been liquidated, but it has structurally changed. Supporters of this theory believe that the "elephant bratva" was transformed into state structures and dissolved in the bureaucratic environment. However, this fact has no evidentiary basis.