FSB seizes 440 kg of drugs from illegal online store operating in several Russian regions
MOSCOW. Nov 13 (Interfax) - The Federal Security Service (FSB) has busted an organized criminal group selling large quantities of narcotics.
"A total of 440 kilograms of narcotic substances (MDMA, a-PVP, mephedrone, and hashish) have been seized in the Tver, Voronezh, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Saratov, Tyumen, Tomsk, and Chelyabinsk regions," a spokesman for the FSB public relations center told Interfax.
Seven employees of a major illegal online store, who served as inter-regional and regional couriers, were caught transporting and dealing drugs, the FSB said.
Two of the detainees were responsible for the delivery of particularly large drug shipments (ranging from 150 to 300 kilograms) from Moscow and St. Petersburg to large populated localities in the Central, Volga, Urals, and Siberian federal districts, and the rest provided wholesale distribution (from 3 to 50 kilograms of drugs) in regions, the FSB said.
"Specialists estimate the market price of the seized drugs at 650 million rubles," the spokesman said.
FSB investigative bodies opened seven criminal cases on counts of illegal possession and distribution of drugs.
The defendants were taken into custody.
The FSB did not say when the detentions took place.