Russia announced Friday that it had arrested suspected members of a Colombian group. cartel trying to smuggle tens of millions of dollars worth of cocaine into Europe.
The suspects were caught loading 570 kilograms (1,250 pounds) of the illegal substance into a container intended for shipment to the European Union, according to Russia’s FSB security service.
The FSB said the smugglers brought the drugs into Russia from Peru, hidden in a vehicle, and were members of the infamous Colombian group. Cali Cartel.
“570 kilograms of cocaine were seized, the wholesale value of which on the Russian black market is 1.5 billion rubles, the retail value exceeding 5.5 billion rubles ($55 million),” said the FSB in a press release published on its website.
Colombia is the world’s largest producer and exporter of cocaine, mainly to the United States and Europe.
Last year, the South American country set a new record for cocaine production and cultivation of the coca leaf from which the drug is made.
Russia maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards drug use and smuggling, imposing harsh sentences on those found guilty of trafficking small quantities of narcotics.
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images
Russian customs seized nearly three tons of cocaine in the first nine months of the year, according to authorities.
“This is already the fifth batch of Latin American cocaine seized this year by security agencies on Russian territory, intended for transit to EU countries,” the FSB said.
The Cali Cartel controlled up to 80 percent of the cocaine trade to the United States at its peak in the mid-1990s, according to U.S. authorities. In 2022, the former leader of the Cali Cartel died in a North Carolina prison.
The seizure of drugs destined for Europe by Russian authorities was announced a day after Portuguese police said they had dismantled “one of the largest” cocaine laboratories in Europe in an operation that led to seven arrests and the seizure of some 1,500 kilograms of drugs. medicine. The investigation was opened a year ago following information from Colombian, Spanish and American authorities.
Last week, police in the Balkans arrested 11 suspected members of a criminal syndicate responsible for trafficking cocaine from South America to Europe. Among those arrested was a suspect also wanted for his alleged membership of the famous “Pink Panthers“jewelry heist gang.
