International investigation led to arrest of man charged with breaking Russia sanctions: RCMP

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 06, 2025 2:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 6

The RCMP accidental the apprehension of a Russian nationalist who is alleged to person illegally exported goods to Russia came arsenic a effect of a transnational investigation, involving a fig of ports extracurricular of Canada.

Anton Trofimov, who lives successful Toronto, was arrested on May 5 and charged with 1 number of exporting a restricted bully to Russia and 1 number of exporting a bully to Russia for the intent of manufacturing weapons, according to documents filed successful the Ontario Court of Justice.

The charges autumn nether the national Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations introduced successful 2014 that were amended to adhd much punishing sanctions astatine the commencement of the full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022.

The 43-year-old besides faces a complaint nether the Criminal Code of possessing the proceeds of spot obtained by crime. The charges subordinate to an incidental oregon incidents that are alleged to person occurred betwixt July 17, 2022 and Dec. 8, 2022.

CBC News reported Trofimov's apprehension past week, but RCMP didn't corroborate the apprehension until a quality league connected Friday.

 International policing agencies, including the FBI, were progressive successful the probe the RCMP said.

Unclear if goods were utilized successful Russian warfare effort: police

The RCMP alleged that Trofimov was gathering physics components from astir the satellite and shipping them to Asia earlier they were shipped to Russia.

In summation to his Toronto home, Trofimov has a location code successful Hong Kong and is the manager of Asia Pacific Links Ltd. — a Hong Kong-based institution that has been sanctioned by the United States and the U.K., according to Open Sanctions, a database that tracks planetary commercialized violators.

It says the institution is the largest supplier of microelectronic components to Russian companies since the opening of the warfare and that components Asia Pacific Links Ltd. exports are utilized to marque Orlan-10 drones, a superior limb the Russian subject uses for reconnaissance to perpetrate airstrikes successful Ukraine.

The RCMP wouldn't specify what components Trofimov is alleged to person shipped to Russia, but 1 serviceman astatine Friday's quality league said the components could beryllium utilized for civilian oregon subject purposes. The RCMP said it's chartless if the components were utilized successful the Russian warfare effort.