Lieutenant General Vladimir Ganeyev, chief of security with the Emergency Situations Ministry, was detained in a high-profile operation in 2003 and charged with organizing a criminal group, abuse of office and falsifying investigation documents over a period of six years.
His accomplices - six officers from the Moscow Police Department - were given prison terms ranging from 15 to 20 years. The court also stripped the convicts of state decorations and ranks.
A prosecutor said four other suspects in the case were detained.
"At the moment, another four people have been detained, and one has been put on the wanted list," said Vera Pashkovskaya, prosecutor in the case. "The detainees will soon face charges."
According to the investigation, members of this criminal group extorted large sums of money from heads of various commercial enterprises, threatening them with violence, illegal prosecution and the obstruction of their businesses.
Investigators said Ganeyev and his accomplices formed a criminal group in 1997 to extort funds from businessmen and later use the money to buy real estate in Russia and overseas, as well as personal cars.
