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Smuggled cocaine worth $1.8 mln found in cases of bananas at St. Petersburg port

The compressed briquettes were packed in polyethylene; a forensic examination confirmed the composition of the drug

ST. PETERSBURG, March 1. /TASS/. Officers of the Baltic Customs division have uncovered 11 kilograms of cocaine hidden in briquettes among cases of imported bananas at the Great Port of St. Petersburg, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) told reporters.

The estimated street value of the drugs, which arrived by ship from Antwerp, Belgium, is 165 mln rubles ($1.8 mln).

"More than 11 kilograms of the drug, the value of which on the black market exceeds 165 mln rubles, have been seized. The contraband was revealed during the inspection of a container arriving from Antwerp, Belgium. Customs officers found briquettes with compressed white powder packed in a case full of bananas," the FCS press service said.

The compressed briquettes were packed in polyethylene; a forensic examination confirmed the composition of the drug. A criminal case was initiated under Paragraph B, Part 4, Article 229.1 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Smuggling of Narcotic Drugs on a Large Scale"). The circumstances of the crime are currently being established.

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