A German citizen has been caught trying to smuggle gold worth more than 90 million rubles ($982,500) into Russia, Reuters reported. He can be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison, the customs authorities in the city of Pskov announced, as quoted by BTA.
Customs representatives and Russian Federal Security Service officers apprehended the 58-year-old man, who is believed to have been carrying 13 kg of gold bars in his vehicle, authorities reported in Telegram today. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet commented on the case.
Pskov is a city located about 20 km from Russia's border with Estonia. Local customs officials said an investigation had been launched and, in addition to detention, the man could be ordered to pay a fine of up to one million roubles.
The detention of Western citizens in Russia, including some Germans who were recently released in a prisoner swap between several countries, has become an increasingly worrisome topic amid the war in Ukraine, Reuters notes.