IGPR: More than 100 searches for seizing weapons brought to Romania by express courier

Police officers from the Weapons, Explosives and Dangerous Substances Directorate, under the supervision of the prosecutor from the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest District 2 Court, are conducting 103 house searches in Bucharest and in 36 counties on Thursday for non-compliance with the arms and ammunition regime and aggravated smuggling.

"The action aims to increase the degree of security and to remove from the illegal circuit some firearms, short and long, which would have been introduced on the Romanian territory through express courier companies," informs a General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police (IGPR) release sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

Between July and November 2021, police officers with the Directorate of Weapons, Explosives and Dangerous Substances documented the criminal activity of a legal person, based in Hungary, who, through a website, allegedly traded, on Romanian territory, to individuals, weapons from the category of those subject to authorization and the different types of ammunition related to them, without complying with the conditions of the law on the regime of weapons and ammunition.

The activity was carried out by placing orders to the online store, and from the warehouse located on the territory of Hungary, the weapons and ammunition were delivered to the Romanian buyers, through courier companies that introduce the goods in the country, without declaring this fact to the customs authorities and without fulfilling the conditions required by the national legislation in this field.

After the introduction of weapons and ammunition on the Romanian territory, the delivery to the final buyer would have been made through other express courier companies.

"Conducting the operations are more than 300 police officers specialising in investigations in weapons and ammunition offenses in the structures of weapons, explosives and dangerous substances, as well as forensic specialists and intervention and special action fighters," he said.

The activities are taking place in the counties of Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Brasov, Braila, Buzau, Caras-Severin, Calarasi, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dambovita, Dolj, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Olt, Prahova, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Valcea and Vrancea.