Former Miss Russia Sofia Nikitchuk arrested on suspicion of smuggling luxury watches and jewellery

Sofia Nikitchuk, 31, who was crowned Miss Russia 2015 and who represented her country at the Miss World 2015 beauty pageant, is facing up to five years in prison after she was busted while going through customs at Vnukovo Airport in the Russian capital Moscow.

She had been flying into Russia from France via Istanbul in Turkey as there are currently no direct flights from western Europe to the country due to its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The Federal Customs Service of Russia said in a statement on Wednesday, November 6: "The offender was a young woman, a participant in international beauty contests, who arrived from Nice (France) with a transit stop in Istanbul.

"She proceeded through the ‘green’ corridor for VIP hall passengers. During customs inspection, she presented a Patek Philippe watch, as well as two Cartier rings and a Cartier necklace for inspection.

"The woman explained that she did not declare them because they were personal items. An expert assessment confirmed the jewellery’s authenticity, showing that the items were crafted from 750-grade gold alloy.

"A decision is being made on whether to initiate criminal proceedings under Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for the smuggling of strategically important goods and Article 194 for evading customs duties. The offender faces up to five years of imprisonment."

Local media reports in Russia said that the suspect is Nikitchuk and that the items she failed to declare are worth 12m roubles (£95,450).

Story: NewsX