400 Kilos Of Cocaine Found In Russian Embassy In Argentina

In this photo taken on Dec. 14, 2016, and released on Feb. 22, 2018 by the Argentine Security Ministry, a police officer shows a package of cocaine that with a star sign, that was found in an annex building of the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A Russian diplomatic official and an Argentine police officer are among those arrested after authorities seized the cocaine shipment of 860 pounds (389 kilograms) at the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires that prompted them to launch a yearlong joint investigation to dismantle a drug ring, the government said. (Argentine Security Ministry via AP)




Police have seized nearly 400 kilos of cocaine from the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires and arrested several members of a drug trafficking gang, Argentina’s Security Minister Patricia Bullrich announced on Thursday.

Bullrich told a press conference that the drugs discovered in an annex of the embassy had a street value of around $50 million.

“A gang of narco-criminals was trying to use the diplomatic courier service of the Russian embassy” to ship the drugs to Europe, she said.

She told reporters that Russian and Argentine police had decided to mount a sting operation after the Russian ambassador informed them of the drugs find in December 2016.

“The cocaine was replaced by flour and monitoring devices were placed to monitor delivery” of the 16 bags of the drug, Bullrich said. She said the sting had resulted in the arrest of five suspects — two in Argentina and three in Russia.

The drug, of “very high purity,” was destined for Russia and probably also Germany, where the suspected mastermind lives. “We believe the German police will arrest this fugitive,” Bullrich said.

The minister said Russian security service agents “came to Argentina on three occasions to assist in the investigation” that took more than a year.

One of the two people arrested in Argentina is a naturalized Russian who was a member of the police force in Buenos Aires, said Bullrich.

Investigators believe the cocaine likely originated in Colombia or Peru.

(AFP)

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