MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. Russia’s Yuzhno-Uralskaya Railway police have apprehended a man suspected of smuggling drugs from Central Asian countries, Interior Ministry Spokesperson Irina Volk said, adding that over 14 kilograms of hashish were meant for small-scale wholesale had been seized.

"A channel for smuggling large amounts of drugs from Central Asia to Russia has been blocked," Volk said. "Transport police seized a drug shipment hidden along the Yuzhno-Uralskaya Railway and apprehended a man suspected of setting up a criminal group involved in smuggling drugs from abroad," the Interior Ministry spokesperson added.

According to her, the apprehended man - a resident of the town of Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk region - was previously convicted many times of severe crimes. He has been taken to custody, while a criminal case has been launched under Articles 228.1 (illegal production, transportation or sale of drugs and psychotropic substances) and 229.1 (drug-trafficking) of the Russian Criminal Code.