MOSCOW, December 22 (RIA Novosti) - Drug police have seized almost 20 kilograms (44 lbs) of Afghan heroin in Moscow in an operation that was conducted in November and December, a senior federal drug control official said Monday.
Vasily Rogozin, an investigations department head with the Federal Drug Control Service, said a total of seven suspects of Russian and Tajik origin had been detained, and five criminal cases opened.
The suspects are believed to have set up a drug trafficking network in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The leader of the group has been detained, Rogozin said.
According to the Federal Drug Control Service, around 91,000 drug-related crimes, including 69,000 serious offenses, were recorded in Russia in the first 11 months of 2008.
Officers have seized 26 tons of drugs, including 1,500 kg of heroin, in the country since the start of the year.
