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Over 260 North Korean fishermen detained for poaching in Russia’s Far East

About 30,000 carcasses of illegally caught squid and banned fishing equipment were seized from the poachers

VLADIVOSTOK, September 27. /TASS/. Officers from the Federal Security Service’s Border Service for the Primorye Region have detained three North Korean fishing ships and five motorboats with 262 fishermen on suspicion of poaching, spokesperson for the service, Albina Proskurenko told the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Friday.

"Three fishing ships and five motorboats with a total of 262 North Korean fishermen aboard have been detained for illegally fishing in Russia’s Exclusive Economic Zone," she said.

According to Proskurenko, about 30,000 carcasses of illegally caught squid and banned fishing equipment were seized from the poachers. The detained fishermen have been transported to the ports of Nakhodka and Posyet for investigation.

According to the Federal Security Service, Russian border guards spotted two North Korean ships and 11 motorboats poaching in Russia’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the Sea of Japan on September 17. The crew of one of the vessels attacked the border guards, leaving four of them injured. The vessels were detained and escorted to the Russian port of Nakhodka. A total of 161 North Korean nationals were apprehended. An investigation was opened under Article 317 of the Russian Criminal Code (attempt on the life of a law enforcement officer).