Smuggling of timber more than 1 billion revealed the far Eastern customs for 4 months 2020

Smuggling of 132 thousand cubic meters of timber, of a value exceeding 1 billion rubles, identified law enforcement units of the far Eastern customs for 4 months in 2020. Initiated 42 criminal cases, 31 of them committed as part of organised criminal groups, of which 14 were identified in collaboration with the Department of the FSB of Russia for the Primorye territory.

In 2019 customs of the region on the facts of smuggling of timber, totaling more than 247 thousand cubic meters of 75 criminal cases, including in cooperation with the territorial units of the state security bodies and the Prosecutor’s office – 18 criminal cases.

As the chief of the far Eastern operative customs Eugene bavin, a priority in the fight against illegal timber exports is not the quantity of the revealed facts of smuggling and brokerage for large circuits.

From the beginning of 2020, the far Eastern customs officers in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies suppressed the activity of 3 organized criminal groups specializing in smuggling of precious wood.

In 2019 3 suppressed the activity of organized criminal groups, which allowed the far Eastern customs officers to identify the facts of illegal export of 189 thousand cubic meters of timber, with dubious provenance. As a result, initiated 21 criminal case involving more than 300 episodes of criminal activity.

Usually, the attackers present to the customs body the documents containing false data confirming legality of production and purchase of timber. The most “popular” method is the presentation of a CITES certificate, issued on the basis of false documents of origin of timber.

A significant proportion of all violations identified in the region of Ussuri, Chita, Khabarovsk and the Buryat customs.

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