The RCMP say there are ongoing investigations into the networks connected to a Russian national who was charged with illegally exporting goods to Russia.
Anton Trofimov, who lives in Toronto, was arrested on May 5 and charged with one count of exporting a restricted good to Russia and one count of exporting a good to Russia for the purpose of manufacturing weapons, according to documents filed in the Ontario Court of Justice.
The charges fall under the federal Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations introduced in 2014 that were amended to add more punishing sanctions at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The 43-year-old also faces a charge under the Criminal Code of possessing the proceeds of property obtained by crime. The charges relate to an incident or incidents that are alleged to have occurred between July 17, 2022 and Dec. 8, 2022.
CBC News reported Trofimov’s arrest last week, but RCMP didn’t confirm the arrest until a news conference on Friday.
When asked Friday about other investigations related to Canada’s sanctions on Russia, Chief Supt. Chris Leather suggested parts of Trofimov’s network are still being investigated.
“Canadian authorities continue to investigate that issue domestically here in Canada. There certainly are elements of his network that remain in place,” Leather said. He wouldn’t elaborate due to ongoing investigations.
International case
RCMP officers said Friday that the investigation into Trofimov was transnational, involving a number of ports outside of Canada. International policing agencies, including the FBI, were involved, police said.
The RCMP alleged that Trofimov was gathering electronic components from around the world and shipping them to Asia before they were shipped to Russia.
In addition to his Toronto home, Trofimov has a home address in Hong Kong and is the director of Asia Pacific Links Ltd. — a Hong Kong-based company that has been sanctioned by the United States and the U.K., according to Open Sanctions, a database that tracks international trade violators.
It says the company is the largest supplier of microelectronic components to Russian companies since the beginning of the war and that components Asia Pacific Links Ltd. exports are used to make Orlan-10 drones, a primary weapon the Russian military uses for reconnaissance to commit airstrikes in Ukraine.
The RCMP wouldn’t specify what components Trofimov is alleged to have shipped to Russia, but one officer at Friday’s news conference said the components could be used for civilian or military purposes. The RCMP said it’s unknown if the components were used in the Russian war effort.
