Attempt to Smuggle Cessnas From U.S. Into Russia Ends in Arrest

According to the Department of Justice, Sergey Nechaev was indicted for attempting to evade U.S. export control laws in March 2023 by trying to sneak two Cessna aircraft from the U.S. to Russia by transshipping them through Armenia. The U.S. government seized the aircraft in conjunction with his arrest in the Southern District of Georgia.

The release said the 1968 Cessna 172K and 1973 Cessna were valued together at approximately $170,000, and were being exported to a Russian flight school without a required license or authorization from the Department of Commerce.

“To conceal the true end user and destination of the aircraft, Nechaev falsely represented that the end user and destination were in Armenia,” the DOJ release stated.

Both aircraft are also subject to forfeiture as property involved in the commission of the crime, DOJ said.

Nechaev was charged with attempting to export controlled goods without a license in violation of the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), smuggling goods contrary to U.S. law, and causing the submission of false and misleading information in electronic export information paperwork submitted through the automated export system.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted for illegally attempting to export the controlled goods.

Several agencies are investigating the case, including the Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and the FAA.