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Charges to be brought against Russian detained in Thailand with 6.5 kg of cocaine

If found guilty, Sergey Lelekov may face life imprisonment in Thailand for smuggling large quantities of cocaine

© Mikhail Metsel/TASS Archive

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Thailand deports four Russians placed on international wanted list

BANGKOK, November 18. /TASS/. A court in Bangkok will bring charges on Wednesday against Sergey Lelekov detained on Thailand’s Koh Samui island with 6.5 kilograms of cocaine. The Russian citizen is accused of drug trafficking with intent to distribute them, head of the Consular Department of the Russian Embassy in Thailand Vladimir Sosnov told TASS.

"The charges will be brought in court, which is expected to rule the arrest of the suspect for 84 days while the investigation goes on. It is a formal procedure. When the term expires, the arrest may be extended," the diplomat said.

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Lelekov, a resident of the Moscow region, was detained on Koh Samui island, Surat Thani province in southern Thailand. The Russian citizen arrived there on November 15 from Singapore and said his luggage had been lost. When his two suitcases were found, customs officers found several packages of cocaine in one of them with a total weight of 6.5 kilograms and worth more than $740,000.

"Lelekov pleaded not guilty. At his request, a new lawyer was appointed to represent him. We got in touch with the Russian’s relatives who intend to arrive in Bangkok soon," Sosnov said.

If found guilty, Lelekov may face life imprisonment in Thailand for smuggling large quantities of cocaine.

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