60 kilos of Afghan heroin seized by Russian police

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian law enforcers seized almost 60 kilograms (over 130 lbs) of Afghan heroin from three Tajikistan nationals in a special operation, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday, January 16, according to RIA Novosti.

“Fifty seven kilograms of Afghan heroin were seized,” the FSB said, but did not specify when or where the operation took place.

The three suspects were members of a criminal group from Tajikistan specializing in smuggling drugs to Russia from abroad, the FSB added.

One kilogram of Afghan heroin in Russia sells at between $15,000 and $25,000 depending on the region of the country, according to the Federal Drug Control Service. The value of the heroin market in Russia totaled $6 billion, the head of the service, Viktor Ivanov, said last month.

A UN report in 2010 said Russia, which is the main conduit of drugs originating in Afghanistan, holds first place worldwide for the number of heroin addicts per capita. Over 90 percent of drug addicts in the country use heroin.