Belarusian customs authorities, working with border guards, have uncovered a criminal scheme to smuggle military goods. Four Belarusian citizens attempted to smuggle military equipment components into the European Union, carefully disguising them as civilian equipment.
How the disguising scheme worked
According to the State Customs Committee, a group of individuals imported from Russia a batch of engines, block-crankcases, transmissions, and other components used in the production of tanks, infantry fighting and landing force vehicles.
To get round border controls, the malefactors carried out complex preparations in Minsk:
- Factory tags and attachments were removed from the weapon components;
- The items were repainted;
- The body frames were marked with Chinese hieroglyphs.
Thus, the military parts were purportedly disguised as Chinese-made engines for civilian power plants. The goods were then processed through export procedures for export to the EU.
Arrest and results of the operation
Customs Operations officers stopped two trucks containing 24 remade “Chinese engines.” Urgent investigative actions were carried out jointly with border service personnel and Brest customs officers.
In the course of further operational search activities, another 22 searches were carried out. As a result of the work, about 200 components of weapons and about USD 100.000 in cash were seized.
Criminal liability
Criminal cases have been opened against those involved in the scheme. Suspects have been detained, and two defendants have been arrested. The investigation is ongoing to identify all participants in the cross-border chain.
The law provides for severe penalties for smuggling military equipment — up to 10 years in prison.