By Giovanni Legorano
ROME (AA) – A Dutch-led international investigation led to the arrest of three people suspected of smuggling sensitive equipment to Russia, which could be used for military purposes, Eurojust said Tuesday.
The arrested people are accused of illegally exporting technological and laboratory equipment to Russia in violation of European Union sanctions, introduced by the bloc after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) works with national authorities to combat a wide range of serious and complex cross-border crimes involving two or more countries.
“The arrested persons are suspected of being part of an international smuggling network,” the agency said.
The investigation also led to the search of 14 locations, which resulted in the seizure of the physical and digital materials of a Dutch-registered enterprise. The company’s bank account and communication tools were also seized, it added.
Dutch authorities investigated the case at the end of 2023 which led to the uncovering of a web of enterprises, which were used to circumvent the ban on exports to Russia.
These companies were centered around a Dutch-registered trading company, which was set up in 2017 for the import, export, and sales of electro-technical and laboratory equipment, among other goods.
Eurojust said two of the arrested suspects were administrators of the main trading company, adding that the third suspect is an employee of an external contractor.
The trading company in question is now run by an administrator in Russia, who is also the sole shareholder.
Dutch, German, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Canadian authorities were involved in the probe, supported by Eurojust.