YEKATERINBURG, December 20 (RIA Novosti) - Drug officers have netted almost 23 kg (50.7 lbs) of heroin in three separate raids in northwest Russia and the Urals, regional police sources said on Thursday.
Two batches of heroin, weighing a total of 19.7 kg (43.4 lbs) were found during drug searches in the Sverdlovsk region in the Urals.
Police found the drugs Wednesday when 4.2 kg (9.2 lbs) of heroin was discovered under the front passenger seat of a car belonging to two Azerbaijani nationals. A further police search revealed another 3kg (6.6 lbs), while 12.4 kg (28.3 lbs) was found near the entrance to a residential building.
Police have launched a criminal case.
At the same time, police officers in the Novgorod Region in northwest Russia arrested a drug courier in possession of around three kg (6.6 lbs) of heroin on a train bound for Sevastopol.
