About 5 tons of cocaine have been seized in Russia in two years

From 2023 to 2024, about 5 tons of cocaine were seized on the territory of Russia, Izvestia calculated after studying data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Federal Customs Service (FCS). The total value of the seized drug amounted to more than 350 billion rubles.

The amount of the banned substance imported into Russia has been growing annually since 2022. According to calculations, then law enforcers seized more than 300 kg, in 2023 - 1.5 tons, and in 2024 - a record 3.7 tons. The most popular method of transportation was containers with fruits and vegetables, according to data from three agencies and Izvestia's sources in the "law enforcement" environment.

The largest shipment weighing 1.2 tons was seized in the port of St. Petersburg in January 2024. The drug was supplied to Russia from Belgium. Its cost on the black market was estimated at 13 billion rubles.

"On this fact the Baltic Customs initiated a criminal case under paragraph "b" of part 4 of article 229.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (smuggling of narcotic drugs committed by an organized group on a particularly large scale)," - said the press secretary of the Baltic Customs Vladislav Andreevsky.

In 2024, another large shipment weighing a ton was seized in the Leningrad region. Law enforcement officers detained two citizens of one of the Balkan countries, who were transporting the drug on a truck.

The Federal Customs Service told Izvestia that the amount of cocaine in Russia is increasing due to changes in the routes of its supply to Europe. The groups are trying to make more active use of Russia's transportation structure.

Read more in Izvestia's exclusive article:

Revitalized traffic: drug dealers have increased cocaine imports to Russia