The US revoked 113 visas for Aeroflot employees

The US State Department has canceled 113 visas of Aeroflot employees - they are considered involved in the smuggling of stolen Apple devices worth $ 50 million.

Today, the US Department of Justice released an official indictment against 10 people. The document names eight arrested people: Akmal Asadov, Sayuz Daibagia, Anton Perevoznikov, Shokhrukh Saidov, Marat Shakhdin, Kirill Sokhonchuk, Zokir Iskanderov and Azamat Bobomurodov. Two more defendants fled from the investigation.

The Defendants were allegedly involved in a scheme to illegally export over $50 million worth of electronic devices, including the Apple iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, from the United States to Russia. The defendants carried out this scheme by smuggling cash and goods through aircraft passengers and current and former employees of Aeroflot. “Having received instructions <…> Aeroflot crew members and other persons traveled to the United States to pick up electronic devices. Defendants in the US received devices, many of which were stolen, to be sent to Russia without any necessary approvals. During a search of baggage belonging to Aeroflot crew members and other couriers, electronic devices worth millions of dollars were found.”

For example, from September to December 2019, Daibagia transported more than 1,000 Apple devices worth more than $1 million in four trips to the United States. And Saidov on one day, October 5, 2019, took out 235 devices worth more than $250,000 in 9 suitcases.

As a result of the investigation, the State Department withdrew about 113 visas from Aeroflot employees for participating in a criminal scheme.

The release emphasizes that so far we are talking only about suspects and the guilt of the accused has not yet been proven in court.