Russian police seize 95kg of cocaine near MoscowJuly 25, 2013 - 21:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Police in the Moscow Region on Thursday, July 25, seized a large shipment of cocaine stashed in a truck carrying boxes of bananas, a police spokesman said, according to RIA Novosti. “Police were informed this morning that a truck with a shipment of bananas from Ecuador had arrived at a storage site in the village of Selyatino, in the Naro-Fominsk district. There were five boxes with cocaine in the shipment,” the spokesman said. “Police seized about 95 kilograms [210 pounds] of the drug,” the official said, adding that investigators were questioning the truck driver to determine the identities of those involved in the drug-trafficking operation. According to the 2012 World Drug Report, released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the average price of a gram of cocaine on "black markets" in Russia is $174. The head of Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service, Viktor Ivanov, said last year that about 8.8 million Russians were drug addicts and more than 18 million had tried narcotics at least once. Some 30,000 to 40,000 Russians die every year from drug-related illnesses, according to official statistics. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia. Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of Armenia Henrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |