Police seize Russia's largest haul of heroin in Moscow

Moscow, May 25 (UNI) A shipment of over 430 kg of heroin, the largest drug haul in Russia so far, was seized in Moscow today.

''With this amount, the traffickers could have prepared over six tons of street drugs worth over about 360 million dollars,'' Head of Moscow anti-narcotics service Viktor Khvorostyan told Russian news agencies today adding that four people were detained in the connection.

The heroin, along with some three kg of hashish, was transported to Moscow from Tajikistan in the secret compartment of a truck, he said.

''This particular criminal group, which has been involved in delivering heroin to Moscow and St. Petersburg, came to the attention of our anti-narcotics agents at the end of last year,'' Mr Khvorostyan said, adding, ''In April, we received information that a major shipment of narcotics would soon be delivered by truck as part of a convoy transporting cabbage.'' The truck was tailed from the border of Kazakhstan and stopped in Moscow last week, where a search revealed 197 packages of heroin weighing over two kg each, he added.

''This heroin is of extremely high quality. It was intended for distribution in Moscow and St. Petersburg. We also know that Europe was one of the group's targets,'' he said.

UNI