'Cheese smugglers' arrested in Moscow with 470 tonnes of illegal produce worth £19m

Six people suspected of being part of a major smuggling ring sneaking banned products into Russia have been arrested for illegally importing Western cheese.

Moscow banned many imports from the US, Europe, Australia and other countries in retaliation against economic sanctions imposed following Russia's confrontation with Ukraine.

But it seems homegrown Russian-made cheese could not quite cut it.

Around 470 tonnes of forbidden Western cheese was found in an office building in Moscow, worth some two billion roubles (£19 million).

A number of varieties were found lying in boxes, with fake labels and documentation ready to re-brand the produce as being of Russian origin before being sold on to supermarkets and food stores across the country.

Yelena Alexeyeva, a Russian Interior Ministry spokeswoman, said 17 searches were carried out in the one building.

Six people - including two organisers and four "active participants - aged between 29 and 58 were taken into custody.

The six suspects face charges of large-scale fraud, she added, and said police were tracking down other possible members of the group.

President Vladimir Putin has ordered all imports from the US, EU, Canada, Australia and Norway to be destroyed "by any available means", and applies to a range of imports including pork, beef, poultry, fish and seafood, milk and dairy products, fruits, vegetables and nuts.

The destruction must be videotaped, the order demands, in an attempt to prevent officials secretly taking the forbidden items for themselves.