MURMANSK, April 1 (RIA Novosti) - Border guards in Russia's northern Murmansk Region seized on Wednesday more than 2 tons of crab worth around 2 million rubles ($59,000), the Federal Security Service (FSB) said.

The illegal shipment was found in a Mercedes van traveling from Severomorsk to Murmansk. "The total weight of the seized batch is over 2 tons and the approximate value is 2 million rubles," a spokeswoman said.

This year Russia has launched a crackdown on the illegal export of crab and other seafood. However, large volumes continue to be smuggled out of the country, primarily to Japan and South Korea.

Since January 1, there has been a ban on catching Kamchatka crab, but Wednesday's seizure is the seventh such haul in the Murmansk Region since the start of the year.