The Far Eastern Operational Customs disrupted a channel used to smuggle nearly 4.6 tonnes of dried trepang to China: six consignments were declared in the name of two Russian companies, and damage recovery for the state is put at over RUB 188 million. Source: FCS Russia.
When the shipments were cleared at the Far Eastern Electronic Customs, accompanying documents put the total declared customs value at RUB 97.2 million — about 2.5 times below the actual market price.
Operational inquiries in Primorsky Krai uncovered an organized group of three Russian nationals who had joined forces to export strategically important resources. They harvested and processed aquatic biological resources, sought buyers, and shipped goods to China through the Poltavka and Kraskino road checkpoints, using paperwork that understated customs value.
A criminal case was opened under Part 3, Article 226.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (large-scale smuggling of strategically important resources by an organized group). The suspects were detained and placed in a temporary detention facility; courts are considering pre-trial custody.
Searches at their homes and an office yielded communications equipment, electronic storage media, documents, and cash — EUR 23,100 and USD 50,000 — belonging to one detainee.
At the customs service's request, a court ordered an asset freeze worth RUB 188,168,400, matching the market value of goods illegally moved across the EAEU customs border.
The operation was coordinated by the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office; the inquiry is ongoing.
