NIZHNY NOVGOROD DRUG DEALER FACES LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN US

NEW YORK, March 30 (Itar-Tass) - Oleg Kirillov, believed to be one of the
ring leaders of organized crime in Nizhny Novgorod and who was arrested in
Miami at the end of 1997, has been found guilty on all charges brought
against him, such as money laundering, drug trafficking, extortion, and
being in charge of a criminal group. Considering the crimes Kirillov has
been convicted of, the sentence, to be handed down on June 8, might entail
imprisonment either for a term of 30 years or for life.

According to the testimony given by FBI agents, Kirillov is a recidivist
who was earlier twice indicted in Russia for thievery and robbery. FBI
agent William McCasland testified that Kirillov is one of the ring leaders
of a criminal group in Nizhny Novgorod and that his gang had controlled one
of Moscow's night clubs.

The two telephone conversations between Kirillov and his US accomplice
Vadim Gubin on August 9 and 18, 1997, tapped by the FBI, revealed their
plans to acquire a shipment of cocaine in the US. Speaking on the telephone
with his US accomplices, Kirillov was not only frank and used open
language, but he also mentioned concrete deals and concrete funds.

The information and testimony given by Kirillov's former accomplices, who
decided to cooperate with the Justice Department proved sufficient to
convince the jury that the Nizhny Novgorod Godfather was guilty.