It’s obvious Vice Media has a thing for documenting illegal culture, from their popular show Black Market to the Noisey series that reports on street life through music in areas including Chicago and Atlanta.
However, a recent report from Canada’s National Post newspaper alleges a former employee of the company may have actually had closer ties to a global drug ring.
Yaroslav Pastukhov, a former editor at Vice Canada’s Noisey offshoot who went by the name Slava Pastuk, allegedly tried to recruit journalists to smuggle drugs. According to reports, this included him offering the opportunity to transfer luggage lined with drugs to Australia from Las Vegas for $10,000.
Pastukhov, 26, has not been charged with any crimes relating to these allegations, and the allegations haven’t been tried in a court of law. The Post reports that it is “not aware of any criminal charges or police investigations into his alleged activities.”
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Pastukhov started writing for the company in early 2013 and was appointed editor of Noisey Canada about a year later, where he worked until he was dismissed in February 2016. He was fired after staff members spoke up about his alleged involvement in moving weight across the seas.
“Upon learning of these allegations in early 2016, Vice Canada took immediate and swift action to address these claims through our human resources department enlisting an employment law specialist to consult throughout and engaging an outside criminal law firm to conduct an investigation on our behalf and contact the Toronto Police Service,” said Vice Media in a statement to the Post.
While working for the company, Pastukhov dropped some controversial editorials ranging from “Did Lil B Invent The Dab In 2010” and “How To Make Money Off Rap Without Even Rapping” alongside interviews with Childish Gambino and a currently incarcerated Rowdy Rebel.
Pastukhov’s one-time roommate, a Toronto-based musician named Jordan Gardner, as well as some of Gardner’s friends, currently sits in an Australian prison after being caught at a Sydney airport with 37 kilograms of white powder that tested positive for cocaine in December 2015. He has pleaded guilty, but his lawyer maintains that his client was threatened at gunpoint to carry the package.
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Gardner is currently awaiting sentencing.
