MOSCOW, September 1 (AVN) - Officers of the Interior Ministry main anti-mafia department and investigation committee have exposed and put an end to illegal sale of explosives that was flourishing at an all-Russian R&D institute, the department's press service told the Military News Agency.
The Russian State Technical Inspection sustained the licence allowing the institute to develop and test explosive materials in June this year due to the detected violations. But the institute's leadership continued their activities in this field.
The investigation detected that an institute manager sanctioned the supply of 16 tons of RSI-60 ballistic charges (twice more powerful than TNT charges) left after missiles scrapping to a dressing plant in July 2000. The charges were delivered from of a pilot plant in central European Russia's Samara region and taken to the point of destination with numerous breaches of basic safety rules.
The explosives were confiscated. Investigators will have to find out whether the institute's supply of some 400 more tons of explosives to different foreign firms was legal. Prosecutors have opened a criminal case on charges of illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation and bearing of arms, ammo, explosives and explosive devices. The investigation is still in progress.