Details of the criminal case of smugglers who stole amber have been revealed: a policeman helped

The Chinese man received the longest sentence

New details have emerged about the detention of a gang of smugglers with the largest batch of amber – they were neutralized by FSB officers as part of operational activities. The criminal group included a policeman, a Chinese and a resident of Kaliningrad.

As MK learned, the gang was formed in 2021 completely by accident. A citizen of the People’s Republic of China entered one of the cafes in Kaliningrad, where he met its owner Ivan (all names have been changed). While drinking alcohol, the Chinese said that he was engaged in the resale of amber, which is a very profitable business, and came to the city, which is the capital of the amber region, to find sellers of the precious stone. Ivan became interested in the intriguing offer of a foreigner and through his acquaintances reached out to such people. Together they purchased 813 kg of raw amber, and after that they began to transport the stones in parts to a Chinese man’s house near Moscow, where they were packaged in boxes and sent to China through the post office of Sheremetyevo Airport. In this way, the smugglers managed to smuggle 99 kg of amber worth 4.3 million rubles. As it turned out, the criminals were actively helped by a policeman, an acquaintance of the Chinese, who worked at the airport and knew all the ways to bypass the control system – he personally controlled all postal movements right up to the receipt of parcels.

FSB officers received operational information about the crimes committed and took the team into development. On February 16, 2022, a policeman and a Chinese citizen were detained at their home, and a resident of Kaliningrad was detained a month later. The would-be policeman realized his guilt and began to actively cooperate with the investigation, for which he received only 5 years of general regime imprisonment. During operational search activities, almost all of the amber that was being prepared for shipment and kept at the home of a foreign citizen was confiscated. They tried to send part of the smuggled cargo through Kaliningrad customs, but thanks to the vigilance of the security officers, the entire cargo was intercepted.

According to Olga Vradiy, senior assistant of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Moscow Region, by their criminal actions the convicts caused damage to the state totaling more than 13.5 million rubles. The Khimki City Court sentenced a citizen of the People’s Republic of China to 9 years in prison, and a resident of Kaliningrad to 7 years – both in a maximum security colony.