STAVROPOL. July 02 (Interfax-AVN) - The North Caucasus Regional Directorate of the border guard service have detained over 500 persons for various offences this year, the Directorate's press service told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday.
"More than 500 border violators and over 1,260 trespassers of the border zone were detained in the AoR of the North Caucasus Regional Directorate. Nine persons involved in illegal armed formations were detected and handed over to the police," the press service said.
Over this period, border guards of the directorate together with customs officials have prevented smuggling worth more than RUB3m (USD99,000) and USD253,500, seized about 30 pieces of small arms, over 60,000 ammo pieces, more than 20kg of explosives, the press service noted.
The press service added that more than 2.9 million persons and over 380,000 vehicles had legally crossed the Russian border in the directorate's AoR this year.
Border guards and officials of the state sea inspections of the Maritime Guard Department of the directorate have seized over 700 poaching vessels, more than 640 boat engines, and over 93t of sea produce in the Sea of Azov, Caspian and Black Seas during the first six months of this year, he said.