Russia’s Federal Security Services (FSB) have reportedly detained a Chechen man who was caught passing through a Siberian forest with a backpack stacked with gold.
The region of Sakha, in Russia's Far East, is rich in natural resources, including large reserves of gold and diamonds. In 2013, police seized 10 kilograms of pure gold believed to have been stolen from a major Russian gold producer and hidden in a forest in the Irkutsk region.
FSB operatives detained the 52-year-old suspect in a taiga forest near the village of Berkakit, located in the region of Sakha, with 13 kilograms of gold worth over 34.5 million rubles ($526,000), the local Vostok Media news website reported, citing local authorities.
The suspect has reportedly been charged with illegal storage of precious metals.
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