Drug mule with heroin in stomach detained in Urals airport

Airport customs officers in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk have detained a Tajik drug mule with 600 grams of heroin in his stomach, the airport's press service said on Monday.

CHELYABINSK, October 19 (RIA Novosti) - Airport customs officers in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk have detained a Tajik drug mule with 600 grams of heroin in his stomach, the airport's press service said on Monday.

"A Tajik national tried to smuggle into Russia 70 packets of heroin hidden inside his body," the press service said in a statement.

According to estimates, about 90% of heroin consumed in Russia is trafficked from Afghanistan via Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. And the vast majority of heroin consumed in Europe passes through Russia on its way from Afghanistan, where illegal drug production has reportedly risen more than 40 times since 2001.

In a separate incident, a suspected drug dealer in possession of 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of synthetic drugs was detained in another Urals city, Nizhny Tagil.

Police found over 3,000 ecstasy pills and 4,700 pills of other synthetic drugs in his apartment.