CHISINAU, November 26. /TASS/. Moldova has detained three suspects and the alleged kingpin of an arms smuggling ring from Ukraine, head of the General Police Commissariat Viorel Cerneucanu.
"A fourth person has been detained, who plays the role of the organizer. Most of these individuals are citizens of the Republic of Moldova, but some of them have either foreign citizenship or dual citizenship," Cerneucanu said.
According to the prosecutor's office, they tried to smuggle 18 ammunition parts, eight ammunition rounds, an anti-aircraft missile system and a Geran-2 drone with a disassembled engine and no combat component. Investigators believe that the ammunition was imported to Moldova from Ukraine by a courier who periodically transported various goods from the neighboring country. Head of the Information and Security Service of Moldova Alexander Mustace said that Moldovan law enforcement officers are investigating the incident in close cooperation with colleagues from Romania and Ukraine.
Last week Romania said it had discovered a large shipment of weapons, which was attempted to smuggle out of Moldova. According to Moldovan media, the weapons were FIM-92 Stinger, Igla, Kornet anti-tank missile launchers, as well as components for attack drones.
On the night of November 20, Romanian customs detained a truck with weapons at the border with Moldova. The Moldovan Customs Service said the truck carrying metal parts aroused their suspicion, and they asked to scan it using special equipment that only Romania has.