STAVROPOL. March 29 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian West Caspian border guards of the North Caucasus Regional Border Guard Directorate are investigating border violation by the Azerbaijani boat Samur detained on March 27, chief of the directorate's press service Sergei Livantsov told Interfax-Military News Agency Monday.
"Nine of the crew have been found to have no required documents, including personal identification. In the holds we have found five tonnes of sturgeon," Livantsov said.
The Samur has been escorted to the Russian port of Makhachkala, he added.
A patrol boat detected an unmarked vessel in the Northern Caspian on March 27, which was then detained by the PSKR-916 border guard ship.
The violator tried to escape but was overtaken and inspected. The inspection team found in the holds several tonnes of poached sturgeon. All nine crewmen appeared to be Azeris, the boat registered in the Azeri capital Baku.
Border guards and maritime inspectors have seized over 100 boats, 50km of poacher nets and 350 tonnes of sea produce this year. Poachers were fined RUB600,000 (USD21,000).