STAVROPOL. Jan 23 (Interfax-AVN) - A UAZ-469 jeep was detained by border guards of the Astrakhan detachment when it attempted to cross the Russian-Kazakh border illegally.
"The automobile driven by a Kazakh citizen crossed the border bypassing a checkpoint, circumstances of the incident are being investigated," the press service of the North Caucasus regional border guard department reported on Thursday.
A press service official told Interfax-Military News Agency that 370 border violators and 1,500 trespassers of the border zone were detained on the Astrakhan section of the border in 2002. Border guards and customs officers seized some USD19,500 worth of goods and over 4kg of drugs from smugglers.
Over 687,800 people and over 70,000 vehicles crossed the border section controlled by the department last year. Border guards detected 2,400 people with invalid documents including those involved in illegal armed formations.
Last year, individuals and legal entities were fined for over RUB695,900 (USD21,890) for various violations.