A Zabaykalsk district court has handed down a sentence to two citizens of the People’s Republic of China for smuggling gold valued at over 9.8 million rubles. They had concealed the gold within lead ingots. This was reported by the press service of the Zabaykalsk Regional Court.
The court determined that the defendants had conspired to illegally transport gold out of Russia. One of them provided the other with seven lead ingots, with gold hidden inside them. The recipient concealed these ingots in the cabin of his vehicle and proceeded towards the “Zabaykalsk” border crossing point to depart for China. Since the export of lead from Russia is not prohibited, the perpetrators believed their cargo would not arouse suspicion from border guards and customs officials.
Nevertheless, officers from the Zabaykalsky Border Directorate of the Federal Security Service discovered and confiscated the ingots. An expert examination confirmed that over 1 kg of gold was present within. The court sentenced one of the defendants to 6 years of imprisonment, and the other to 5 years and 9 months in a general regime penal colony. Both have also been ordered to pay a fine of 500,000 rubles. The verdict has not yet taken legal effect.
About the Author
