In January–June 2026, Russian customs authorities opened 1,132 criminal cases. Source: FCS Russia.
More than half — 515 cases — concerned illegal movement of strategically important goods and resources, potent substances, cultural valuables and especially valuable wild animals (Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code). Another 232 cases involved evasion of customs payments, 213 involved currency transfers to non-residents’ accounts using forged documents, and 62 concerned illegal movement of cash and monetary instruments.
The most frequent crime subjects were timber and wood products, vehicles, narcotic and psychotropic substances, potent drugs, tobacco, and foreign and Russian currency.
Courts received 218 cases; 119 ended in guilty verdicts. More than RUB 670 million in damage compensation and almost RUB 390 million as double the unpaid customs duties were transferred to the federal budget. Property worth RUB 295 million was seized, and courts ordered confiscation of property valued at RUB 690 million.
Over the same period, 80,148 administrative offence cases were opened; 40.8% involved legal entities. Of these, 57,448 concerned breaches of customs rules (Chapter 16 of the Code of Administrative Offences), including 39,661 under smuggling-related articles 16.1–16.4. Separate cases covered late or missing statistical forms on goods movement and currency-law violations.
Typical administrative subjects were currency, tobacco products, plant-origin goods, wood and wood articles, passenger cars and alcohol. Offenders paid fines totaling RUB 1.8 billion; property worth more than RUB 6.8 billion was handed over to competent authorities.