Reuters: Spain detains members of smuggling network supplying banned chemicals to Russia

On 15 October, Spanish police confiscated 13 tons of prohibited chemicals, including potential precursors for chemical weapons, that were heading to Russia despite the sanctions imposed on Moscow for its war against Ukraine, according to Reuters.

The European Union, which has imposed extensive sanctions on Moscow since 2022, is working to clamp down on companies selling dual-use goods to Russia through Central Asian states to bypass these sanctions.

The US and the UK have accused Russia of violating an international ban on chemical weapons in Ukraine, with London sanctioning troops allegedly involved in their use. Russia has denied these accusations, stating that it adheres to its obligations under the chemical weapons treaty.

Spanish police reported that a Spanish company had set up an elaborate logistical and financial network to export sanctioned chemical products to Russia.

The company had a subsidiary in Moscow that ultimately received the chemicals and used several shell companies in countries like Armenia and Kyrgyzstan to conceal the true destination of the goods, which were later rerouted to Russia.

Police arrested four suspected members of a crime ring believed to be illegally supplying chemical products to Russia to bypass Western sanctions. The chemicals found in a container at Barcelona’s port were not specified in the police statement. The four suspects, detained in nearby villages, face charges of sustained smuggling of banned goods.

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