WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2020) The United States has charged ten individuals, including Aeroflot Airlines employees, in connection with a smuggling scheme for Apple products in Russia, the US Justice Department said in a press release on Monday.
"An indictment and a complaint were unsealed today in Federal court in Brooklyn variously charging ten defendants with transportation of stolen property, failure to file export information, illegal exportation of electronic devices and conspiracy to commit these offenses," the release said.
The Justice Department said the ten individuals are allegedly involved in the illegal smuggling of electronic devices, particularly Apple products, from the United States to Russia by using couriers, many of whom were current and former employees of Aeroflot Airlines.
The ten individuals smuggled $50 million worth of electronic devices, including Apple iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches, from the United States to Russia using airline passengers, some who were current or former Aeroflot Airlines employees, the release also said.
Many of the electronic goods were stolen and required authorization to be exported, the release added.
The United States has revoked the visas of about 113 Aeroflot employees with links to the scheme, according to the release.
