MOSCOW, June 26 (RAPSI) – A criminal case against a river tug’s mate charged with attempted mink smuggling worth over 9.5 million rubles (over $150,000) has been forwarded to court in Khabarovsk, a city in Russia’s Far East, the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office reports.

According to the statement, in July 2016, the defendant bought over 3,900 mink pieces. Then he hid them onboard vehicle to further transport the goods abroad avoiding customs clearance, prosecutors said.

The contraband cargo was found by the Khabarovsk customs officers in the course of active search operations. Its cost, according to estimates, exceeds 9.5 million rubles, the news release reads.

The mate was charged with illegal movement of strategically crucial goods across the customs border of the Customs Union at Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) level.