Large scale gang of smugglers arested

RIGA- A criminal gang was held in eastern-Latvian city of Ludzalast week and large amount of weapons, explosives and smuggled cigarettes was confiscated.

A border guard is among those detained.

The members of the criminal gang were dealing in smuggling cigarettes from Russiabypassing the customs control, Kristine Petersone, the representative of LatvianNational Border Guard, told BNS.

Two hunting rifles, 23 cartridges for these rifles, 2,467 cartridges ofdifferent firearms, two detonators, two and a half liters of the gunpowder andone hunting rifle muzzle with a breech block were held. besides that 12 mortarshells, 60 explosives, eight hand grenades, two liters of TNT, eight busters,24 tracers, one revolver, one pistol, three rifles with bayonets, and a machinegun were found. The cash in the amount of 4,830 lats (EUR 6,872) and 1,260packs of Prima brand cigarettes, 110 packs of Maksim brand cigarettes, 20 packsof L&M cigarettes and 40 packs of More cigarettes with Russian excisestamps were held.

During the pre-trial investigation one official of Ludza National BorderGuard was held on suspicion of participation in the gang.

The explosive ordnance was taken over by National Armed Forces unexplodedordnance neutralizing company and destroyed.

The pre-trial investigation continues and the criminal procedures on illegalstorage of weapons and ordnance were initiated. The investigation materialswere passed to the Ludza National Police Bureau.

It is not disclosed what is the rank of the Border Guard official, Petersonetold BNS.

Two large scale smuggling cases were discovered earlier in the eastern-Latvianregion of Latgale. They were discovered by Latvian Organized Crime EnforcementBureau (ONAP) in cooperation with the Corruption Prevention and CombatingBureau (KNAB).

The arrests on the Terehova case started in late October. The law enforcementauthorities held several officials, including Customs officers, border guards,policemen and the chairman of Zilupe regional municipality Olegs Agafonovs, forsmuggling at the Terehova border crossing post, as well as bribery and the abuseof authority.