Russia holds Abkhazian nationals on suspicion of arms trafficking
29/09/2008 12:58 MOSCOW, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Three residents of Abkhazia have been detained in Russia on suspicion of smuggling arms into the country, the Russian Interior Ministry said on Monday.
"Officers from Russia's law-enforcement bodies caught the suspects red-handed," a ministry spokesperson said.
The group bought arms in Abkhazia and smuggled them through the Russian-Abkhazian border to the Black Sea resort of Sochi. They were then sent to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, where they were due to be sold on.
According to the spokesperson, a home-made revolver can be purchased for 10,000 rubles ($400) in Abkhazian on the black market, while in Russia it can be sold for 24,000 rubles ($954).
The suspects have been charged with smuggling 19 revolvers, a pistol, and ammunition to Russia. All the weapons have been seized.
The accused face up to 12 years in prison and a fine of one million rubles ($40,000) if found guilty of the charges.
Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, another Georgian breakaway republic, as independent states on August 26. So far, only Nicaragua has followed suit.
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