A man has been detained in the Netherlands on suspicion of evading Russian trade restrictions imposed by the EU.
The 55-year-old was taken into custody on September 27 by agents from the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) and Europol's European Financial and Economic Crime Centre.
The individual was allegedly "supplying Russia with goods which could have been used for military purposes," according to a statement from Europol.
The individual is said to have been selling microchips to businesses and organizations in Russia, which authorities assessed may be used to make weapons.
In order to get around EU restrictions, the suspect is said to have "deliberately pretended" that these commodities were headed somewhere other than their actual destination in Russia.
According to the FIOD, during the inquiry, trading stock and private and commercial bank accounts connected to the suspect were confiscated. The probe, according to the FIOD, has the backing of Europol and Dutch Customs.
The EU has put eight sets of sanctions on the Kremlin into effect since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Sanctions have been placed on Russian gas, the banking system, and there are limitations on the flow of products into Russia.
By fLEXI tEAM
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