A court in Almaty found former priest Iakov Vorontsov guilty of illegally acquiring and possessing a psychotropic substance and, taking an amnesty into account, sentenced him to four years in prison, the website infohub.kz reports.
The case was heard by District Court No. 2 of Almaty's Medeu district. The trial began on September 16 and was held behind closed doors.
According to court materials, a search of the home where Vorontsov lived turned up 2.44 grams of 3-CMC, an analogue of the psychotropic substance methcathinone. The amount was classified as especially large. Vorontsov was accused of acquiring and possessing the substance without intent to sell.
The court noted that his guilt was confirmed by witness testimony, expert findings, the search protocol and other case materials.
Vorontsov was initially sentenced to six years in prison. An amnesty was then applied in connection with the adoption of Kazakhstan's new Constitution.
"The sentence was reduced by one third and finally set at 4 years in prison," the court's statement said.
The verdict has not yet entered into force.
Recall that a criminal case against the former priest of the Russian Orthodox Church was opened after a video appeared online in which Vorontsov is allegedly preparing and using a drug with a homemade smoking device.
The court said a medical examination dated February 13, 2026 established that Vorontsov had used cannabinoids. He had previously been given 10 days of administrative arrest for their non-medical use.