Additional Coverage:
Spain Arrests 4 in Chemical Smuggling Ring to Russia
Authorities in Spain have arrested four suspects for allegedly orchestrating a network to smuggle chemicals to Russia.
The seized chemicals, weighing over 14 tons, were intercepted in a shipping container at the port of Barcelona. Authorities suspect that some of the chemicals could be precursors for chemical weapons or nerve agents.
The investigation began in 2022 after Western nations imposed sanctions on Russia to prevent it from acquiring materials that could aid its invasion of Ukraine.
The suspects are believed to have operated a company that established a complex network of shadow companies in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries to illegally supply chemicals to Russia.
The chemicals were transported to a Moscow-based subsidiary through land deliveries.
No chemical weapons have been confirmed to have been used by Russia in Ukraine since the invasion began in 2022. However, the US had previously warned Russia against using such weapons after unsubstantiated claims from the Kremlin that Ukraine had used them.