MOSCOW, November 25 (RAPSI) - Infamous Russian nationalist Maxim Martsinkevich during the hearing in Moscow’s Babushkinsky District Court on Friday pleaded not guilty to assaulting drug dealers, RIA Novosti reported Friday.

In March, the case against Martsinkevich was returned to prosecutors. According to his defense, one charge count connected with property damage was dropped.

Martisnkevich and nine other people stand charged with extremism, hooliganism, robbery and property destruction.

Investigators believe that Martsinkevich, a.k.a. Tesak (Hatchet), and his supporters under pretense of drug interdiction attacked people in 2013-2014 in Moscow using electro shockers, gas sprayers and metallic pipes, leaving several people traumatized and one person dead. These attacks were allegedly connected to a movement “Occupy-Narcofil’ay” organized by Martsinkevich against synthetic cannabis (a.k.a. spice) dealers.

Martsinkevich, one of the more well-known Russia nationalists, has a history of clashes with the law. In 2014, he was sentenced to five years in prison for publishing extremist content in the Internet.