Record amount of cocaine seized in Saint Petersburg
A record seizure of narcotics in Russian history was recorded in the city of Saint Petersburg. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
On the ship named “Cool Emerald” arriving from Ecuador, over 1.5 tons of cocaine were found hidden among banana cargo. According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, on August 29, the shipment that arrived at the Saint Petersburg sea port had cocaine specially concealed inside banana boxes.
During an inspection conducted by customs and security officers, more than 1500 bricks were seized. Their total weight amounted to 1750 kilograms, with the pure cocaine quantity reaching 1515 kilograms.
One of the bricks caught attention as it was labeled “Fendi.” Experts estimate that the black market value of the seized cocaine is approximately 20 billion rubles, which exceeds 240 million US dollars.
The Russian Federal Customs Service assessed this case as the largest narcotics seizure in the country’s history. Currently, a criminal case has been initiated by the Baltic Customs Service under Article 229.1 of the Russian Criminal Code.
This article provides for severe punishment against the smuggling of narcotic substances in especially large quantities, including life imprisonment. According to official sources, urgent search and investigative actions are ongoing to identify and apprehend members of the organized criminal group accused of drug smuggling.
This incident is considered an important part of the country’s security and the fight against narcotics.
