MOSCOW. Nov 17 (Interfax-AVN) - The coordination council of the heads of the relevant bodies of the countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on issues relating to the prevention of illegal migration summed up the results of the Illegal 2016 operation at a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan.
"Specifically, it was stated that over 140,000 violations of the migration legislation, nine instances of mercenarism and 21 instances of incitement of religious hatred were found during the operation as a result of joint efforts made by the relevant bodies of the CSTO countries," CSTO press officer Vladimir Zainetdinov told reporters on Thursday.
He also said administrative fines worth over $4.5 million have been assessed and suspicious financial transactions worth some $1.5 billion have been uncovered, he said.
During the operation, the defense and security bodies of CSTO countries opened some 2,000 criminal cases for organizing illegal migration and some 18,000 criminal cases on the basis of other crimes. A total of 477 people on the international wanted list were found, including four persons suspected of extremism. Searches yielded seven printing houses where forged documents were made, instructions on how to forge documents, special computer equipment, over 200 forged documents, holograms for making passports, forged stamps, and communications devices, Zainetdinov said.
Zainetdinov said, citing CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov, that over 70,000 migrants have arrived in the CSTO countries from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen this year. "Of these people, over 63,000 have left the territory and the rest stayed on the territory of our countries. Work is being done regarding them," Semerikov said, adding that some of the migrants "are violating legislation.' Relevant measures are being taken regarding them, Zainetdinov said.