The smuggling of timber worth 19 million rubles was prevented by officers of the Far East Operational Customs Service
Nearly 2 thousand cubic meters of yellow birch timber were seized by officers of the Far Eastern Operational Customs Service. Timber worth 19 million rubles was intended to be illegally exported abroad by a company from Khabarovsk.
The crime was revealed in cooperation with employees of the FSB Department of Russia in Khabarovsk Krai.
As a result of operative-search activities carried out by the employees of the two agencies, a group of persons was identified who planned to illegally export strategically important goods (timber) to China. When declaring them, the company submitted documents containing false information to the customs authorities. In particular, fictitious invoices and sales contracts were submitted to confirm the legality of the origin of timber. Also among the documents was a contract with an individual entrepreneur for transportation of timber from the place of harvesting to the place of loading (railway station). However, information from the system «Platon» showed that vehicles belonging to the individual entrepreneur did not move towards the railway station.
The operative officers found out that in order to export timber to China, the head of the company and his deputy purchased documents from third-party organizations in order to make the origin of the exported timber legal.
In accordance with Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, criminal liability is incurred for smuggling of certain strategically important goods and resources (timber) on a large scale – worth more than 100 thousand rubles.
The Far East Operative Customs Service initiated two criminal cases under paragraph «c» part 2 of article 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (illegal transfer of strategically important resources across the customs border on a large scale, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy) against two Russian citizens (company managers) and unidentified persons.
the investigation is ongoing;
Public Relations Department of DVTU
dvtu_osmi@dvtu.customs.gov.ru, (423) 230-82-78