Cocaine smuggling increased tenfold in Russia since start of war
As much as 10 times more cocaine is entering Russia since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This is according to an investigation by the Russian newspaper Izvestia.
The war has forced drug organizations to change several international drug smuggling routes. For example, the port in the Ukrainian city of Odessa has been closed due to the Russian invasion so smugglers now have to transport their drugs through Russia.
Between 2023 and 2024, Russian authorities confiscated about 5.2 tons of cocaine worth 350 billion rubles (about 3.4 billion euros). That is as much as 10 times more than in previous years, writes Izvestia.
Indirectly, the Russian invasion has made Russia a major “gateway” to the rest of Europe for drugs. Most of the cocaine entering Russia is destined for other European countries.
(FVDV for Tagtik/Source: Izvestia - The Moscow Times/Illustration: Michael Siebert for Pixabay)