MOSCOW, January 29 (RAPSI) – A court in Russia’s Primorye region will consider a criminal case against three Chinese nationals charged with smuggling of claws and other parts of Himalayan black and brown bears, a statement released on the website of the Prosecutor General’s Office reads.

The defendants are also charged with illegal traffic of Amur tigers’ parts, amber, arms and armaments, the statement reads.

According to prosecutors, the Chinese citizens joined a criminal gang to smuggle goods from Russia to China. The total value of items seized from them exceeds 50 million rubles (over $750,000), the Prosecutor General’s Office states.

Earlier, a Russian woman living in Primorsk Territory, who was also a member of this gang, received 3.5 years in prison and a 1.3-million-ruble fine ($20,000).