Madrid — Spanish authorities announced Tuesday that they had arrested four people suspected of orchestrating a commercial network aimed at circumventing sanctions after intercepting more than 14 tons of chemicals bound for Russia.
“During the investigation, it was proven that internationally sanctioned chemicals, some of which may be chemical weapons precursors or nerve agents, had been exported in the past using this corporate structure” , said the Spanish National Police and the tax administration in a joint statement. , according to the Reuters news agency. The agencies did not say which chemicals were seized.
The chemicals were discovered in a shipping container in the port of Barcelona on Spain’s northeast coast, authorities said, while the suspects were arrested in three villages near the city. A video posted on the national police social media account showed officers unloading dozens of drums of unidentified chemicals into the port.
The investigation began in 2022 after Western countries imposed waves of sanctions against Russia to prevent him from acquiring equipment and technology that could be used to help him ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
There has been no confirmed use of chemical weapons by Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion in February 2022, although the United States has warned his government against such a measure later this year. amid denied Kremlin claims that Ukraine had used such weapons.
Spanish authorities said they had discovered a company run by “citizens of Russian origin” that had developed a network to illegally supply chemicals to Russia, according to the joint law enforcement statement.
The company sent the goods to its Moscow-based subsidiary through a series of shadow companies in countries including Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, with deliveries reaching Russia by land, police said.
