CANADA (CelebrityAccess) – Former Vice music editor Slava Pastuk (real name Yaroslav Pastukhov) was sentenced Tuesday (Dec. 4) to nine years in prison following his involvement in a massive drug-smuggling scheme.
In September, Pastukhov pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to import a commercial quantity of cocaine into Australia.
Pastukhov began working at Vice’s Toronto-based Noisey Canada back in 2014. A year later he solicited several people to become drug mules, including a Vice intern by the name of Robert Wang. Ultimately, five of the couriers were caught at the Sydney airport on December 22, 2015, with a total of 40 kilograms cocaine valued at approximately $20 million, hidden in their suitcases. All five have since been tried and convicted in Australia.
Ontario Court of Justice Judge Heather Pringle reportedly deducted 113 days from Pastukhov’s nine-year sentence for the time he had already spent in custody prior to his sentencing, according to Billboard. Pastukhov’s attorney Dan Kirby told the publication his client will be eligible for parole after fulfilling one-third of his sentence.
