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Major synthetic drug cartel busted in Russia, 67 members detained

The group, operating from Ukraine, sold drugs worth 2 billion rubles every year, through a network of couriers

© Screenshot of video by Russian Interior Ministry

MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. A total of 67 members of a criminal group involved in production and trafficking of synthetic drugs have been arrested in a special operation of the Russian Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB).

The group, operating from Ukraine, sold drugs worth 2 billion rubles every year, through a network of couriers.

"A total of 67 members of the criminal group were detained, 47 of them are residents of Ukraine," Russian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said, adding that coordinated special operations were held in ten Russian regions.

During the operation, police uncovered three drug labs in the Moscow Region, able to produce from 150 to 500 kilograms of synthetic drugs per week. Police also cut the group’s supply channels to 14 Russian regions and located major drug caches in 10 Russian regions.

During the operation, law-enforcers seized more than 4 metric tons of synthetic drugs, 3.5 metric tons of precursors, 250 pieces of lab equipment, more than two million rubles in cash and 18 fake passports.

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