This is the moment the Russian authorities bust suspected criminals believed to be smuggling endangered Siberian tiger furs and other banned items in the boot of a car.

The incident took place in the village of Novokreshchenka, which is located in the Primorsky Krai region in far-eastern Russia.

The footage shows three men being detained by the authorities. They are made to lie down on the ground in the snow while the agents search the vehicle before taking them into custody.

The law enforcement officers can then be seen looking in the boot of the car. They can be seen discovering at least one tiger fur, which appears to be stashed among other items.

Irina Volk, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of the Interior, said in a statement obtained by Newsflash that its agents had “stopped the activities of a group whose members are suspected of illegally selling parts of a particularly valuable wild animal listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation”.

The Red Data Book of the Russian Federation is an official state document issued by the superpower that lists species of animals and plants on its territory that it deems to be rare.

The Russian authorities added: “The police found out that the criminals intended to sell Amur tiger derivatives for RUB 250,000 (GBP 2,460).”

They also revealed that the detained men were local residents with prior convictions.

They added: “Parts of a tiger were found in the boot of the car in which they were travelling.”

It is currently unclear if the suspects have been formally charged.