30-day pre-trial detention for 3 persons for smuggling over 5 tons of amber

Three persons were remanded by the Bucharest Tribunal in a case where they are accused of illegally bringing from Ukraine into Romania, through the Siret border crossing point, semi-precious stones - amber, the DIICOT (Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism) informed on Wednesday.

According to a press release sent to AGERPRES last Friday, the DIICOT prosecutors - Central Structure, had detained three people for 24 hours, for establishing an organized criminal group and smuggling.

The prosecutors took note that during the month of March, the three persons established an organized criminal group in Romania, with the purpose of committing the crime of smuggling, namely to illegally bring in, from Ukraine into Romania, by evading semi-precious stones (amber) from the border checkpoint, through the Siret border crossing.

"After bringing them into the country, the goods were stored by the group's leader, who later transported and delivered it, in order to be dispatched, through courier companies and international transport, towards recipients from Poland, Hungary, Lithuania and the Czech Republic, under the form of postal parcels, weighing between 25 and 30 kilograms, falsely declaring that these contained various goods," the press release specifies.

Thus, according to the investigators, during the period of March-November, based on the same criminal resolution, the group's members would have illegally introduced in Romania a total quantity of 5,151,56 kilograms of amber.

DIICOT informs that on November 13, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled to remand the three individuals for 30 days.