Royal Canadian Mounted Police Investigates “Cyber” Related to People Violating Russian Sanctions
The RCMP said an investigation is underway into a network related to Russian nationals, which is accused of illegally exporting goods to Russia.
Anton Trofimov, who lives in Toronto, was arrested on May 5 and charged with one count of exporting limited goods to Russia and for exporting weapons to Russia for the purpose of making weapons.
The allegations fall under the Federal Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations proposed in 2014, which was revised to increase punitive sanctions at the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The 43-year-old also faces criminal law, which is the property gains obtained from the crime. These allegations are related to events or events allegedly occurring between July 17, 2022 and December 8, 2022.
CBC News reported last week that Trofimov was arrested, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) did not confirm the arrest until Friday’s press conference.
Chief Suput when asked Friday about other investigations related to Canada’s sanctions against Russia. Chris Leather suggests that part of the Trofimov network is still under research.
Leather said: “Canadian authorities continue to investigate this issue at home in Canada. His network certainly remains.” He will not elaborate on the investigation due to the ongoing investigation.
International cases
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials said Friday that the investigation into Trofimov was transnational and involved many ports outside Canada. Police said international police agencies, including the FBI, were involved.
The RCMP claimed that Trofimov was collecting electronic components from around the world and transporting them to Asia before shipping them to Russia.
In addition to his Toronto home, Trofimov also has a home address in Hong Kong and is the director of Asia Pacific Links Ltd.
It said the company was the largest supplier of microelectronic components for the Russian company since the beginning of the war and was part of the Asia-Pacific line. Export Co., Ltd. is used to manufacture Orlan-10 drones, the main weapon for Russian military use, for reconnaissance of air strikes in Ukraine.
The RCMP did not designate the components that Trofimov had shipped to Russia, but an official at a press conference on Friday said the components could be used for civilian or military purposes. The RCMP said it was not clear whether the components were used in the Russian war efforts.
