INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia said Friday it had detained presumed members of a Colombian cartel attempting to smuggle 10s of countless dollars worth of cocaine
into Europe.The suspects were captured filling 570 kilograms (1,250 pounds) of the illegal compound into a container planned for delivery to
the European Union, according to Russias FSB security service.The FSB suggested the smugglers brought the drugs into Russia from Peru hidden
in a vehicle, and that they were members of Colombias notorious Cali cartel
Five hundred and seventy kilograms of cocaine were taken, the wholesale worth of which on the Russian black market is 1.5 billion rubles,
the retail value going beyond 5.5 billion rubles [$ 55 million], the FSB said in a declaration on its website.Colombia is the worlds most
significant cocaine manufacturer and exporter, primarily to the United States and Europe.Last year, the South American nation set a new
record for cocaine production and growing of the coca leaf the drug is made from.Russia has a zero-tolerance policy towards drug use and
smuggling, handing heavy sentences to those convicted of trafficking percentages of narcotics.Russian custom-mades seized almost three lots
of cocaine in the very first 9 months of the year, according to authorities.The Cali cartel controlled up to 80% of the drug trade to the
United States at its peak in the mid-1990s, according to US authorities.
