“Policemen of the General Administration for Economic Security and Combating the Corruption of the Russian MIA and of the Administration for Economic Security and Combating the Corruption of the Russian MIA Administration for the Moscow Region together with servicemen of Special Rapid Response Unit “ZUBR” of the Federal Service of National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation detained a man suspected of involvement in activities of an interregional ethnic group of counterfeiters,” said Russian MIA official representative Irina Volk.

According to the information received by the General Administration for Economic Security and Combating the Corruption of the Russian MIA, that citizen had organized mass distribution of counterfeit 5,000 ruble notes of the Bank of Russia in the Central and Northwestern Federal Districts.

In July 2015, the malefactor was detained by policemen of the Administration for Economic Security and Combating the Corruption of the Russian MIA Administration for the Murmansk Region. Yet, this February he breached the restraint in the form of house arrest and escaped the law enforcement bodies. Later, he relapsed into criminal activities together with other members of the gang.

In particular, the defendant found advertisements on the Internet for sale of expensive mobile telephones, tables and other portable devices, called the sellers, and, meeting with them, paid for products with counterfeit banknotes. For movements within the country, the malefactor used a forged passport. The facts of the use of counterfeit banknotes were recorded in the Republic of Karelia, in the Leningrad, Moscow, Tver and Murmansk Regions.

In the course of the investigation and search operations, the police established the suspect's location. He was detained at the Leningrad Railway Terminal in Moscow. In the course of the search, the police seized from him 10 counterfeit 5,000 ruble notes and a forged passport.

By now, the malefactor has been convoyed to Murmansk, where he has been charged with the crime stipulated by Article 186 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Production, storage, transportation or use of counterfeit money or securities”. Restraint in the form of remand has been imposed on him.

The police continue investigation and search operations to prove the guilt of all the participants in that criminal activity.