The 'Crab King' also organizing the murder of businessman Valery Pkhidenko in 2010

'Crab King' Sentenced to 24 Years for Smuggling and Tax Evasion

RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 11:00 (GMT + 9)

Fugitive Tycoon Convicted In Absentia in Vladivostok; Defense Claims of Death Rejected

The prominent Sakhalin businessman, Oleg Kan, widely known as the "crab king," has been convicted in absentia by a Russian court. The Frunzensky District Court in Vladivostok found Kan guilty on multiple counts, including leading a criminal organization, smuggling strategically important resources, and evading taxes and customs duties. He was sentenced to 24 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Kan remains on the international wanted list, according to the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office for the Far Eastern Federal District.

The Frunzensky District Court of Vladivostok sentenced businessman Oleg Kan, who was accused of smuggling live crabs and tax evasion. The photo shows the reading of the sentence.

The prosecution detailed that Kan, as the leader of the criminal organization, oversaw the smuggling of 3,400 tons of crab to foreign countries between August 2014 and June 2019. The market value of the contraband was stated to be over $32.6 million (approximately 2.6 billion rubles). The crab was allegedly declared to customs for delivery to offshore-registered companies controlled by Kan at a lower single price. However, the actual selling price was significantly higher. "The proceeds from the crime were used to finance the activities of organizations owned by Kan and the criminal organization he created," the department stated.

Furthermore, the court determined that Kan, while controlling a group of five Russian companies, illegally utilized the agricultural tax regime from 2015 to 2018, allowing him to evade taxes totaling $46.4 million (approximately 3.69 billion rubles).

Oleg Kan -->

The sentence handed down includes the 24-year prison term, a fine of approximately $62,895 (5 million rubles), a three-year ban on foreign economic activity, and two years of restricted freedom. The sentence will commence upon Kan's actual arrest. The court also ordered the confiscation of approximately $52.8 million (4.2 billion rubles) —equivalent to the value of the contraband— to the state. The Prosecutor General's Office noted that damages from non-payment of customs duties and taxes were fully reimbursed by one of the accomplices back in 2021.

Kan's defense repeatedly argued that the businessman had died, presenting documents claiming he passed away in London in February 2023. However, the Prosecutor General's Office deemed this information a fabrication. The initial medical death certificate was presented in court in 2024 but failed to convince the prosecution or the court.

Separately, RBC Primorye had previously reported that a court case in late 2024 resulted in the state seizing several of Kan’s companies and his movable and immovable property. The total claims against Kan and the organizations he controls surpassed $4.5 billion (approximately 358 billion rubles). A key complaint was his involvement of foreign investors and his South Korean residence permit, which legally barred him from extracting strategically important bioresources without special government approval.

In another case, the Prosecutor General's Office had sought a 19-year sentence for Kan for organizing the murder of businessman Valery Pkhidenko in 2010. The Primorsky Krai Court also found the "crab king" guilty of that crime, sentencing him to 17 years in prison. Investigations against other members of the criminal community, also on the international wanted list, are ongoing.

[email protected]
www.seafood.media

Print