Law enforcement authorities in Kyrgyzstan said Thursday that they arrested a suspected arms trafficker who is part of a criminal group that has shipped more than 300 weapons from the United States to Russia since April 2022.
The Central Asian nation's police said they caught the suspect "red-handed" receiving a package of parts for a rifle and handgun earlier this month.
The State Committee for National Security said in a statement it had "uncovered and suppressed the criminal activity of a transnational group" that had illegally trafficked firearms, ammunition and military uniforms from the United States to Russia via Kyrgyzstan.
It alleged that a group of Kyrgyz, Russian and American citizens shipped more than 300 weapons, including Glock pistols and AR-15 assault rifles.
Kyrgyzstan is part of a customs union with Russia, easing travel and trade between the two ex-Soviet countries.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, it has faced allegations of being a back door for Moscow to buy sanctioned Western goods.
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