Moscow - Russia's chief military prosecutor said Wednesday several top Navy officials were under investigation for smuggling 18 million dollars in contraband weapons for sale to China, Russian news agencies reported.

Arms dealers smuggled anti-submarine rockets and aerial bombs out of Russia to Central Asia where they were to be sold to China, army prosecutor Sergei Fridinsky said.

"A few days ago we submitted evidence to open a criminal investigation against several Navy officials and businessmen, who illegally smuggled into Tajikistan 18 million dollars' worth of weapons, including 30 anti-submarine rockets and 200 aerial bombs for sale to China," Fridinsky was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, both the West and the Kremlin have worried over the proliferation of weapons possibly being smuggled out of Russia's vast and poorly-guarded depots. (dpa)