MOSCOW, March 23 (RAPSI) – A group of Russian nationals has been detained across the country and 19 weapons seized over illicit arms trafficking by mail from the United States, the Federal Security Service (FSB) informs on its web site on Thursday.

This March, FSB says in its statement, people involved in smuggling of weapons were detained in the cities of Moscow, Yoshkar-Ola, Irkutsk, and Ulan-Ude.

“There has been thwarted the activity of an interregional criminal group involved in the illegal trafficking of firearms, their main parts and ammunition, as well as the organization of a channel for their smuggling to Russia from the United States through international mail,” the statement runs.

According to the FSB, two machine guns, two assault rifles of US manufacture, 8 pistols and revolvers of domestic and foreign manufacture, several carabines and guns, as well as numerous cartridges and spare parts were seized.

The statement also points out that FSB could stop the operations of two illegal workshops involved in the modernization of weapons.