FSB says stopped operation of Kursk criminal group that made, sold firearms
MOSCOW. July 17 (Interfax) - The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has said that it stopped the activities of a criminal group composed of residents of the Kursk region manufacturing and selling firearms.
"Acting in cooperation with the Russian Interior Ministry, the FSB has suppressed the operation of a criminal group composed of Kursk region residents involved in making main elements of firearms and selling them in several regions of this country," the FSB public relations center told Interfax in a statement.
Over the course of operations it conducted, the FSB "has stopped the operation of ten workshops specialized in upgrading firearms and manufacturing cartridges, with the use of professional equipment they had."
Search and investigative operations took place simultaneously in several Russian regions to identify buyers of the homemade arms, the statement said.
"As a result, 92 items of firearms have been seized from illicit trafficking," it said.
The seized weapons include two machineguns, 12 assault rifles of various modifications, seven submachine guns, 13 carbines and rifles, 57 pistols and revolvers, and homemade pen-like shooting devices. In addition, operatives seized 3.6 kg of gunpowder, a fragmentation hand grenade F-1, 4,400 bullets, more than 400 main elements of firearms, and two silencers, FSB said.