Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has detained a man who was found carrying half a million dollars' worth of gold in his backpack in the Sakha-Yakutia region.
The FSB's regional department said on October 29 that a native of Russia's North Caucasus region was detained after a search turned up numerous pieces of gold and packets containing gold dust.
It said he was carrying 13 kilograms of what it called "industrial gold," worth 34.5 million rubles ($525,000).
The gold was confiscated and the 52-year-old man was charged with illegal precious-metals possession.
The vast Sakha-Yakutia region, whose capital is 4,900 kilometers east of Moscow, is known for its large gold and diamond mines.