Berdych gang handed long prison sentences

The Central Bohemian regional court has handed down long prison sentences to nineteen members of the so-called "Berdych gang" after finding them guilty of criminal conspiracy, taking part in armed robberies and other criminal acts. The court stated that members of the criminal gang collaborated with two detectives from the anti-organised crime squad between the years 1999 and 2001. The verdicts were issued after a year-long trial. The case of the "Berdych gang", named after the alleged ringleader David Berdych, has been described as the largest case of organised crime in the Czech Republic.