German law enforcement officials arrested five men on Monday in Lubek, Germany, in connection with a criminal organization that has smuggled an estimated 16,000 deliveries to Russia since February 2022. File Photo by Anna Szilagyi/EPA-EFE
Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that five men were arrested on Monday on suspicion of working with a criminal organization smuggling goods to Russia.
The prosecutor’s office said the arrests were made by German customs officers in Lübeck, Germany. The suspects allegedly arranged an estimated 16,000 deliveries to Russia in a transaction valued at 30 million euros.
“The arrested suspects are strongly suspected of having committed commercial and organized violations of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act as members of a criminal organization,” the office said in a press release.
The suspects include one German-Russian national and a German-Ukrainian national. Their full names were not released.
The prosecutor’s office alleges that the suspects used a trading company, owned by an arrested suspect referred to as “Nikita S.,” to “clandestinely procure goods for Russian industry” and concealed transactions through a shell company. This was done at least since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
At least 20 Russian defense companies with sanctions against them have been identified as receiving goods as part of this scheme.
The European Union has a series of longstanding embargos on Russia which became more stringent following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Among the goods smuggled to Russia are mechanical and technical components used to produce arms.
While five people were arrested, five more remain at large.
The suspects under arrest are scheduled to appear before a federal court judge on Friday.
The week in photos: Protestors, NFL, premieres
Picketers hold signs outside at the entrance to Mount Sinai Hospital on Monday in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses across New York City are now on strike after no agreement was reached ahead of the deadline for contract negotiations. It is the largest nurses’ strike in NYC’s history. The hospital locations impacted by the strike include Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai West, Montefiore Hospital and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
