The police together with the FSB officers have detained four people involved in the shooting, processing and sale of fragments and derivatives of Amur tigers in the Far East.
During the operational-search activities, the employees of the Department for Economic Security and Anti-Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Khabarovsk Krai conducted a control purchase. For 900 thousand rubles the officers bought the skin of an Amur tiger from the intruders.
When inspecting the crime scene, another skin of the Amur tiger was found, as well as the bones of other animals: bears, wolves, deer and other taiga inhabitants. During the search, unregistered firearms and cold arms were seized.
Four citizens were detained on suspicion of committing a crime. A criminal case was initiated against one of them on the fact of illegal prey and trafficking of especially valuable wild animals listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. The measure of restraint is being determined.
The quality of the skins helped specialists conclude that the detainees have been engaged in criminal business for a long time and more than one Amur tiger has passed through their hands.
"Many of the circumstances of the case can not be disclosed, and law enforcement officials have yet to conduct an investigation, during which all those involved will be identified. At the moment, we can confidently say that the detainees did not kill the tigers themselves, but were engaged in the sale of a criminal product. Now it is extremely important to establish the persons who shot the animals, and also manufactured the skins," says Sergei Aramilev, Director of the Primorsky branch of the Amur Tiger Center.
Recall that the Amur tiger is listed in the Red Book and today it is one of the rarest representatives of the world fauna. The free circulation of this rare predator on the territory of Russia is prohibited. In 2013, tightening was introduced in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with respect to persons killing tigers and promoting it, as well as persons who store body parts of animals or their derivatives or provide them for the sale.
Employees of the Amur Tiger Center hope that the investigation will be completed as soon as possible and the case will be passed to the court.
"First of all, I would like to thank the people who helped the law enforcement agencies identify the criminals and uncover their intentions. Article 258.1 Recently introduced in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, allows you to severely punish all persons involved in the murder of a tiger, of course, with varying degrees of responsibility, depending on the degree of involvement in the crime. I would like to draw the attention of everyone involved in the criminal business that the amount of money earned from the sale of the killed tiger is several times lower than what it will have to pay in the form of fines, not to mention years behind the bars," comments Aramilev.
Reference: since July 14, 2013, amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (articles 226.1 and 258.1) have come into force, providing for toughening punishment for illegal prey and circulation of especially valuable wild animals and aquatic biological resources belonging to the species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and (Or) protected by international treaties of the Russian Federation (Federal Law "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" of July 2, 2013 No. 150-FZ). The list of these animal species for the purposes of application of Articles 226.1 and 258.1 is approved by Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 978 of October 31, 2013.