Drug cartel liquidated in Nicaragua has Russian members - FSKN
MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax) - A drug cartel liquidated in a joint operation of Russian and Nicaraguan security services has Russian members, Federal Drug Control Service Director Viktor Ivanov told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The cartel was directly involved in cocaine trafficking to Russia," he said.
"Its members were citizens of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras and Russia," Ivanov said.
The Federal Drug Control Service and Nicaraguan law enforcement agencies had been collecting information about the criminal group for a year, he said.
"We have liquidated a gang of 41 and seized plenty of armaments. The Nicaraguan Armed Forces seized a boat carrying 1.2 tons of cocaine in the territorial waters," he said.
The active phase of the operation started in early March, and the Federal Drug Control Service rendered information support to Nicaraguan security services, Ivanov said.
He reported the liquidation of the large drug cartel in Nicaragua with the assistance of Russian drug control officers at the Monday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"A large cartel led by Martin Flores, a Mexican citizen affiliated with the Mexican Los-Zetas drug cartel, was neutralized with our information and technical support," he said.
"The cartel maintained close contacts with European criminals and supplied cocaine to Europe and Russia. Suspects of the Russian descent will be under our surveillance jointly with the Nicaraguan security service," Ivanov said.