Russia intercepts 1 ton of smuggled cocaine

On January 10, the Russian Customs Service (FTS) said that customs officers had intercepted a cocaine shipment weighing more than 1 ton. The drugs were being smuggled in a container from Nicaragua in Central America to the Russian port of Saint Petersburg.

Video of 1 ton of cocaine seized by Russian customs and security agencies. (Source: RT)

A total of 1,000 kg of compressed white powder, which was later determined to be a banned substance, was found on board the ship. The operation was carried out in coordination with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), which is responsible for border protection.

FTS announced the exact weight of the shipment as 1,001 kg and 260 g. However, the value of the prohibited shipment was given inconsistently.

The social media press release estimated the value of the shipment at 11 billion rubles ($123.2 million), but in the video statement, the spokesperson said the black market value was 8 billion rubles ($89.6 million). This difference may be due to the expected wholesale price versus the retail price through distribution channels.

Last April, 699 kg of cocaine was seized by the FSB in the Moscow region. In December, a 673 kg shipment of the same drug, originating from Latin America, was intercepted in Moscow before it could be smuggled to Europe.

Hoa Vu (Source: actualidad.rt.com)

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