Suspect arrested in the Netherlands for circumventing EU trade sanctions against Russia

With the support of Europol’s European Financial and Economic Crime Centre, the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) arrested a 55-year-old individual on 27 September believed to be circumventing the EU trade sanctions against Russia. 

This individual, residing in the east of the Netherlands, is believed to have been supplying Russia with goods which could have been used for military purposes. 

The investigation uncovered how the suspect supplied microchips to companies/entities in Russia, among other things. These microchips can be used for the production of weapons. Russia’s arms industry is currently struggling with a serious shortage of such microchips. 

The suspect is believed to have deliberately pretended that these goods had a different destination that the actual final one (Russia) in order to circumvent the EU-imposed trade sanctions, prompting the Dutch FIOD to take action.