In Minsk, employees of the operational units of the border service, together with the financial police of the Gomel region, detained members of a cross-border criminal group that was smuggling mammoth tusks through Belarus, reports Border Committee.
The criminals came to the attention of the operational units of the border service. The attackers organized a channel for smuggling mammoth tusks obtained in Yakutia. The criminals took them out of the Russian Federation to the United States, as well as the countries of Western Europe and South Asia.
During operational activities, the border guards found out that the suspects were also violating tax laws.
For conspiracy and tax evasion, criminals have created a number of affiliated companies in several countries.
At the time of the arrest, the attackers were preparing another batch of mammoth tusks and their fragments with a total weight of 3.5 tons for shipment to Lithuania. Their value in the shadow market is about 1.8 million US dollars.
A criminal case has been initiated. There is an investigation.
