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Russian authorities thwart international drug smuggling ring

According to preliminary reports, the detainees stashed the drugs in a fruit truck

MOSCOW, March 31. /TASS/. Russian police have shut down a huge cocaine-smuggling operation from Latin America, seizing more than 200 kilograms of the drug, Interior Ministry Spokesperson Irina Volk told TASS on Friday.

"Officers from the Russian Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate for Drug Control and their colleagues in St. Petersburg have exposed an international drug ring. A route used for smuggling large amounts of cocaine to Russia from Latin America was cut off. As a result of investigative work, two local residents with extensive criminal records were detained in St. Petersburg," she specified.

According to preliminary reports, the detainees stashed the drugs in a fruit truck. "Police seized over 200 kilograms of cocaine worth over 800 mln rubles ($10.3 mln) on the black market," Volk added.

A criminal case has been opened under Articles 30 and 228.1 of the Russian Criminal Code. Police officers are working to identify all those involved in the drug smuggling scheme and determine where the drugs came from.

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