Russia intercepts 1 ton of smuggled cocaine

On January 10, the Russian Customs Service (FTS) said that customs officers had intercepted a shipment of cocaine weighing more than 1 ton. The drugs were being smuggled in a shipping 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 services. (Source: RT)

A total of 1,000 kilograms of compressed white powder, which was confirmed to be a banned substance, were 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). The difference may be due to the expected wholesale price versus the retail price through distribution channels.

Last April, 699kg of cocaine was seized by the FSB in the Moscow region. In December, a 673kg 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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