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.”
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.
Gardner is currently awaiting sentencing.
This happened in February 2016..A YEAR AGO..and you’re posting it now..why?? What’s it got to do with Hip-Hop?
Go on YouTube and look Vice up. They got a ton of docs on hip hop and the culture. And they cover a lot of other wild shit. Definitely worth checking out
Vice’s video stuff is amazing. Their SJW written stuff on their website is garbage.
HHDX = Zionist agenda
Lol, word.
One of the executive producers for Vice is Bill Maher, who has frequently criticized Israeli policy. Of course HHDX feels the urge to post this crap almost a year after it was supposedly relevant.
Well as you can see this dude is an informant now no one should be surprise about this happening right now as we speak drugs are getting into this country and will continue as long as 99% are poor working stiffs or unemployed hell who knows how Donald Trump made it thru the recession and crash of housing bubble burst he is in bed wit international thug Russian leader Putin who is a murdering thug hell together they can push drugs and hookers freely into US now he got a klans man as is top advisor nothing is shocking in this country this comment wont last i must dumb down in order for it to stay up
If you’ve followed this actual story at all, they’re saying that this Vice editor is connected to some Mexican drug cartel. Trump will be cracking down on the cartels, which is very upsetting to the hip hop community.
this shit is real hip hop.
i always thought one of if not all of these dudes at VICE are involved in one way or another with illegal activity. homey got jerked for 10 stacks taking shit to Australia. It is hard to get anything there like we have here. So whoever was getting that coke would of made millions. he probaly gonna get like 20 to 50 years for 10g’z.
Slava and I worked together for 3 years… that was maybe 5 years ago. He was a great guy and I never expected this. Shocked as hell.