Police seize 32 tons of illegal sturgeon worth 24 million rubles

The Tattinsky District Prosecutor's Office has ruled the initiation of three criminal cases over the illegal transportation of fish products as lawful. The cargo was en route from the Verkhnekolymsky and Bulunsky districts to Yakutsk.

Traffic police officers stopped two KamAZ trucks and one SITRAK 7066-S7 lorry. None of the products bore the mandatory labeling required by the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Customs Union.

In one of the KamAZ trucks, inspectors discovered Kolyma Siberian sturgeon—a species listed in Russia's Red Book of endangered species. A total of 245 specimens were seized without proper documentation.

The total weight of the illegally transported goods amounted to 32.5 metric tons, with an estimated value exceeding 24 million rubles (approximately $260,000).

Criminal cases have been opened under the following articles:

• Part 4(b) of Article 171.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (transportation for sale of goods without mandatory labeling, committed on an especially large scale);
• Part 1 of Article 258.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (illegal acquisition, storage, or transportation of particularly valuable aquatic biological resources listed in the Russian Federation's Red Book).

Investigative procedures are ongoing, with the prosecution overseeing the progress of the case.