Two men detained at Russia-China border smuggling bear paws, tiger skin

[Guest guest]

05/06/2002

BBC Monitoring

Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian 0208 gmt 6 May

02/BBC Monitoring/© BBC

 

Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS

 

Vladivostok, 6 May, correspondent Yelena Osokina: Two Chinese men were

arrested in Maritime Territory attempting to illegally cross the

Russia-China border. Dressed in camouflage uniforms of Chinese border

guards, they were attempting to smuggle out 32 bear paws and the skin of

an Amur tiger, the press department of the territory's border guard

directorate said.

On the night of 5 May, the alarm went off at the Zolotaya border post.

Arriving at the scene, a group of border guards discovered the two

people's path and footprints leading to China. Sniffer dogs led the

patrol to the two men.

 

The two are being held in a remand cell in the village of

Pogranichnyy. Investigations are being conducted.