ROSTOV-ON-DON, August 27 (RIA Novosti) - Customs officials in southern Russia have seized a record stash of about 80 kg (176 lbs) of heroin, a spokesman for the local customs office said on Thursday.

The drugs were found when customs officers carried out an inspection of a train heading from Tajikistan to Russia.

"About 80 kg of heroin, produced in Afghanistan, were kept in 15 plastic bags hidden in sacks containing chewing tobacco 'nasvai,'" the official said.

It is one of the largest shipments of heroin seized by Russian authorities in southern Russia in the past 10 years.

The ex-Soviet Central Asian states remain major drug suppliers to Russia. According to estimates, about 90% of heroin consumed in Russia is trafficked from Afghanistan via Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Illegal drug production in Afghanistan has reportedly risen more than 40 times since 2001.