More suspects named in arms dealing case

  • 2008-11-26
  • By Kristina Pauksens

STOLEN WEAPONS: In the latest raid, police seized 1,900 cartiges, nine grenades and two firearms that were allegedly stolen from the National Armed Forces to be sold on for profit.

RIGA - Several new suspects 's including two military officers, a police officer and a civilian 's have been detained for illegal possession and sale of firearms and explosives that were stolen from the military, in a widening police case which has tarnished the reputation of the Latvian army.
This brings the total number of suspects in the case to 13 people, five of whom are military officers from Latvia's National Armed Forces. 
A total of 1,900 cartridges, nine grenades and two firearms were seized in the latest raid. Questions surrounding how the soldiers managed to acquire these weapons, and  what they intended to do with them, remain unanswered.

According to First Lieutenant Uldis Davidovs, the Latvian army is still trustworthy.  "It is really [an] extraordinary incident in the National Armed Forces," he told The Baltic Times.
The investigation of the stolen arms case began in October, when four individuals suspected of illegal possession and sale of firearms, ammunition and explosives were detained.  Since then, several more army officials and civilians have been detained as suspects in the case.
 This October, when the investigation began, the police seized a whopping total of seven firearms, 19 grenades, four kilograms of explosives, approximately 3,500 cartridges, and more than 100 detonators, from the homes of suspected military officers and other suspects.

One of the suspects is a military official from the 2nd Ground Forces Battalion.
The Latvian Armed Forces representatives seem reluctant to admit the loss of their weapons to the Latvian public. Davidovs, a press information officer, said only that "there is possible stolen ammunition [from the armed forces]." 
Furthermore, the Armed Forces say that they have been muzzled by the police.  "We cannot comment on what they planned to do with this stuff [the weapons], as the investigation [is being performed] by State Police," said Davidovs.

After the discovery of arms storage and dealing in the military, the Latvian government has stepped up their monitoring and control over the military's weapons. Latvian Defense Minister Vinets Veldre has ordered an in-depth probe into the stock keeping of weapons and ammunition in the National Armed Forces.
Defense Ministry Public Relations head Airis Rikveilis told the Baltic News Service that some of the seized ammunition was probably stolen from the NAF arsenal.  Further details remain unknown.
As of November 14, one soldier and one civilian have been placed under arrest.

None of the new suspects detained last week are being kept in the police custody at this time.