Moscow – Russian police said on Tuesday they have busted an international contraband cheese operation responsible for bringing two billion roubles (30 million dollars) of the embargoed product into the domestic market.
Since March the Moscow-based ring illegally imported rennet products that it falsely label as prestigious brand cheeses and sell to supermarkets and distribution centres in Moscow and St Petersburg, police said in a statement.
Two of the ring’s organisers and four other participants, aged 29 to 58, have been detained and face up to 10 years in prison for especially large-scale fraud by an organised group, police said.
Police seized 470 tonnes of the products, label makers and documents proving illegal activity during a series of more than a dozen raids on warehouses, offices and residences apparently used by the group, it said.
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Russia has banned imports of dairy products, as well as raw meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, from the European Union, the U.S. and several other Western countries.
These are mainly countries that have imposed sanctions against Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis.