NEW YORK. Oct 22 (Interfax) - U.S. authorities have notified the Russian Consulate General in New York about the detention of a Russian citizen over the activities of an international criminal group and on charges of colluding to illegally export electronic devices from the United States.
"Today [on Wednesday], the Russian Consulate General was notified by U.S. law enforcement agencies about the detention of a Russian citizen, the only one from the list of the U.S. Department of Justice, within an international criminal group and on charges of conspiracy to illegally export electronic devices," the Consulate General told Interfax.
The group includes one Russian, one citizen of Kazakhstan, and U.S. citizens.
The identity of the detained Russian citizen has not been disclosed.
The U.S. Department of Justice published a press release on October 19, saying that ten people had been charged with conspiracy to illegally smuggle electronic devices, mostly products of the Apple company, on Aeroflot flights, the Russian Consulate General in New York said earlier.
U.S. law enforcement agencies estimated the damage caused by this smuggling scheme at $50 million. The Russian Consulate General then asked the U.S. Department of State to provide information on whether there are Russian citizens among those detained.