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Two sturgeon smugglers arrested, 400 kg of sturgeon seized in Russia

The investigation suggests that locals were illegally fishing sturgeon using outlawed mass capture equipment

ASTRAKHAN, November 20. /TASS/. Russian border patrol agents and police officers have conducted 18 searches in the Russian Astrakhan Region to seize around 400 kg of the highly-valued sturgeon and two kg of black caviar as part of a criminal case launches on the count of illegal fish capture. Two locals were arrested, the press service for the regional branch of the Investigative committee told reporters on Wednesday.

"In the course of investigation launched in accordance with the criminal case, Russian FSB border patrol agents in the Kalmykia and Astrakhan Regions together with local police officers carried out 18 searches and seized around 400 kg of sturgeon and 2 kg of sturgeon caviar. Currently, two locals were detained," the statement reads.

The press service clarified that the criminal case was launched on the count of illegal capture of precious bio resources. The investigation suggests that locals were illegally fishing sturgeon using outlawed mass capture equipment.

"There is likely to be many more people arrested in this criminal case," the department told TASS.

Earlier on Wednesday, the FSB Public Relations Center reported that border patrol agents seized more than 10 kg of black caviar and 800 kg of sturgeon in the Astrakhan Region. Preliminary assessments suggest that the smugglers’ actions inflicted 10 million rubles ($156,000) of damages.