Tonnes of drugs seized in CSTO states

More than 11 tonnes of drugs have been seized in the operation Channel-2005 conducted on territories of member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), according to Federal Drug Control Service director Viktor Cherkesov.

He told at a news conference on Wednesday another two-stage operation was conducted on December 5-12 in the CSTO states, comprising Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

“Analysis of the situation in the state members of the CSTO indicates that trans-national drug structures continue to actively use territories of these countries for the sale and spread of drugs and their smuggling to other regions of the world, Cherkesov noted.

The seized drugs include 550 kilograms of heroin, one tonne of hashish and tonnes of precursor substances.

Almost 10,000 drug-related crimes, including related to smuggling and selling have been exposed.

Law enforcers have opened 7,500 criminal cases.

Besides, more than 43,000 common law crimes have been solved and over 1,000 firearms and 38,000 rounds of ammunition seized.

Cherkesov said that the operation engaged almost 150,000 workers of security, customs and border services.

It has revealed new routes of drug smuggling from Central Asian republics to Russia, European and African states, Itar-Tass reports.

V.Y.