Russia confiscates $55 million worth of cocaine headed for Europe and detains suspected members of the notorious Colombian cartel.
Russia arrests suspected members of Colombian cartel, seizes $55 million worth of cocaine bound for Europe
Updated: December 6, 2024 / 10:02 am EST / CBS / AFP
Russia said Friday it had arrested suspected members of a Colombian cartel who were trying to smuggle tens of millions of dollars worth of cocaine into Europe.
The suspects were caught carrying 570 kilograms (1,250 pounds) of the illegal substance in a container destined for shipment to the European Union, according to Russia's FSB security service.
The FSB said the traffickers brought the drugs to Russia from Peru hidden in a vehicle and were members of the notorious Cali cartel in Colombia.
"570 kilograms of cocaine were seized, the wholesale value of which on the Russian black market is 1.5 billion rubles, with a retail value of more than 5.5 billion rubles ($55 million)," the FSB said in a statement on its website.
Colombia is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocaine, mainly to the United States and Europe. Last year, the South American country set a new record for cocaine production and the cultivation of the coca leaf from which the drug is made.
Russia has a zero-tolerance policy on drug use and trafficking, imposing harsh penalties on those found guilty of trafficking even small amounts of narcotics.
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A view of the headquarters of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in central Moscow on December 21, 2020.
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images
According to authorities, Russian customs seized almost three tons of cocaine in the first nine months of the year.
"This is already the fifth batch of Latin American cocaine seized by security agencies this year on Russian territory, intended for transit to EU countries," the FSB said. According to US authorities, the Cali Cartel controlled up to 80% of cocaine trafficking in the United States at its peak in the mid-1990s. In 2022, the former head of the Cali Cartel died in a North Carolina prison.
The seizure of drugs destined for Europe by Russian authorities was announced a day after Portuguese police said they had dismantled "one of the largest laboratories" of cocaine in Europe in an operation that led to seven arrests and the seizure of about 1,500 kilograms of the drug. . The investigation began a year ago after information from Colombian, Spanish and US authorities.
Last week, Balkan police arrested 11 suspected members of a criminal syndicate responsible for trafficking cocaine from South America to Europe. Among those arrested was a suspect also wanted for his alleged membership in the notorious Pink Panthers jewelry theft gang.
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