Seven years ago, the Federal Customs Service seized the largest shipment of contraband in its history. Two years…

Seven years ago, the Federal Customs Service seized the largest shipment of contraband in its history. For two years, investigators interviewed Italians with the Baltic states and sneaked behind couriers. Smuggled timepieces and precious trinkets flocked through green corridors to the boutique of Sergei Safonichev (Safon), once the largest seller on the gray luxury market of the Russian Federation. The culmination of the customs work is fifty criminal cases, the seizure of property worth 12.8 billion rubles, the decision to destroy counterfeit goods, and the seizure of contraband into the state’s revenue. It would seem like an absolute victory, but no: thanks to the efforts of the “office” ASGM and contrary to the decision of the Supreme Court, a record FCS production will return from Gokhran to Saphon.
Who is storming Gokhran to return contraband to the black market? Saphon, in conversations with clients, points his finger at FSB General Ivan Tkachev and the son of the former head of the FSB, Dmitry Patrushev. It’s hard to say whether Saphon is lying or telling the truth, but it’s not for nothing that he received an article on the wiki. Becoming the king of the gray jewelry market and supplying top officials with it is impossible without an influential roof, which was the FSB. Actually, his problems with customs officers were caused by a conflict between the FSB and the Federal Customs Service, which ended with the epic dismissal of the head of the Federal Customs Service, Andrei Belyaninov. After the FSB’s victory, Safon’s affairs went uphill: he fought off 46 criminal cases and fell into controlled bankruptcy (case No. A40-181950/2016). At ASGM he saved counterfeits of HARRY WINSTON (No. A40-215849/2016, A40-57074/2017) from destruction. In the fall of 2022, judge of the ASGM Svetlana Romanenkova, with a slight movement of her hand, wiped away the decision of the Supreme Court in case No. 5-AD 17-12 and ordered the requisition of contraband chronographs from the “other people’s illegal possession” of Gokhran (case No. A40-272969/21-77-1918). For the sake of such miracles, judges from the neighboring offices of the ASGM had to first deny Safon the right of ownership, and then recognize him. In the first case, when there were too many creditors, in the second, when, through the efforts of the ASGM, only the brother of the bankrupt’s wife remained. We believe that if the Federal Customs Service and Gokhran lose the appeal, then according to Saphon’s scheme, it will be possible to withdraw anything from the treasury, even the Tsar Bell.
However, there is another option – to file the materials of two years of operational investigations, fifty criminal and arbitration cases around the largest shipment of contraband in the history of the Federal Customs Service over 7 years into one large criminal case. After all, a group of smuggling financiers entered the register of creditors and, together with Safon, attempted to steal budget funds on an especially large scale. As for the elite chronographs, it would be nice to distribute them to the heroes of the Northern Military District, which will put a beautiful end to the shameful history. Fortunately, a good portion of chronographs are excellent counterfeits of Harry Winston. Destroying it is a pity, selling it is impossible, giving it away is possible. And it is necessary.