Customs officers at the port of St. Petersburg discovered 50 kg of cocaine among the bananas in one of the ten refrigerated containers that arrived at the customs post, the Federal Customs Service of Russia reported on June 29. The estimated value of the batch on the black market exceeds $4.9mn, the report shows.
The report says that the cargo was coming from African countries in transit through Europe to Uzbekistan on various maritime vessels. The narcotics were detected by customs officers during the scanning of the container using an inspection and screening complex. An inspector noticed foreign objects in the hidden compartment of the refrigeration unit on the monitor.
As a result of the inspection, 50 bricks wrapped in film containing white powder were extracted from under the cladding of the refrigerated container. Experts concluded that the seized substance is the narcotic drug cocaine.
A criminal case has been initiated under Article 229.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (smuggling of narcotics) in connection with this incident. The penalty under this article includes imprisonment for life with a fine of up to almost $12,000 or imprisonment for a period of up to 5 years.
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