Smuggling of Cessna planes to Russia foiled
Sergey Nechaev was arrested for trying to export two Cessnas to a Russian flight school
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) -- A dual US-Russian national was arrested on Monday for trying to smuggle two Cessna aircraft from the US to Russia via Armenia, the Justice Department said.
Sergey Nechaev was taken into custody in the southern state of Georgia and charged with seeking to violate US export laws, the department said.
Nechaev allegedly tried to export a 1968 Cessna 172K and a 1973 Cessna to a purported Russian flight school without the proper authorization, it said.
“Nechaev falsely represented that the end user and destination were in Armenia,” the department said.
The planes, valued at a total of $170,000, have been seized by US authorities.
Nechaev faces up to 20 years in prison for unlawful attempted export of controlled goods, up to 10 years for smuggling and up to five years for falsifying export information.
The Justice Department said the investigation was coordinated through its “Task Force KleptoCapture,” which has been enforcing sanctions and export controls on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.