Drug Smugglers Brought To Trial In Vladivostok

Trial over criminals, who had attempted to smuggle over 8 kg of raw opium to Japan, has been launched in Vladivostok, centre of the Maritime Territory, Russia's Far East. Charged with drug trafficking are two Iran residents and a Russian national. They were detained last spring by the local Federal Security Service, or FSB, department. Borderguards found four Iranian residents hiding on board the Russian Brest motor ship when it was undergoing formalities before heading for Japan. Apart from the Iranians, detained was a Brest crewman who was found to keep over 8 kg of high quality raw opium in his cabin. Iran citizens, seeking to illegally penetrate Japan, are often arrested in Maritime Territory sea ports. Borderguards detained about 50 Iranians on board Russian ships following the Moscow-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok route last year alone. Iranians earlier sought to launch the export of cars from Japan. Today, however, they are smuggling drugs to Japan via Russia.