[Regnum] Police and FSB officers discovered an arsenal of weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices planted more than 30 years ago on the grounds of an abandoned canning factory in North Ossetia. This was reported on May 14 by Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesperson Irina Volk.
A large cache was discovered by operatives from the Republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs' Center for Combating Extremism, together with the regional FSB office, with the support of the Russian National Guard, during a search of the former enterprise. The weapons were hidden behind a false partition.
"A total of six items resembling firearms, 18,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, and 84 explosive devices were seized. These included hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades, grenade launcher rounds, and fuses. A resident of Vladikavkaz is suspected of illegal arms trafficking," Volk explained to MAH.
According to investigators, the suspect set up a hiding place in a warehouse belonging to him in 1990. All seized items have been sent for forensic analysis. Criminal cases have been opened under Articles 222 and 222.1 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Illegal trafficking of weapons and explosives").
Earlier, an abandoned suitcase containing an arsenal of weapons was found in a park opposite the Mosfilm studio in Moscow. It contained six pistols and over 350 rounds of ammunition. A criminal case has been opened for illegal arms trafficking, which carries a prison sentence of up to five years.