MOSCOW, March 12 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and Nicaragua cooperated earlier this month in breaking up a Central American drug gang, seizing around 1.2 tons of cocaine in a joint operation, Russia’s drug control service chief said on Tuesday.
The group was connected to Los Zetas, a notorious Mexican criminal syndicate alleged to be behind large-scale drug trafficking to Europe, including Russia, said Viktor Ivanov, the head of Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN).
There were around 40 people in the drug gang, he said.
Ivanov reported on the operation to President Vladimir Putin on Monday, but did not mention the volume of drugs seized at that time.
In February 2012, Russia and Nicaragua signed an agreement on jointly fighting drug trafficking.
Global Drug Trafficking
The two countries agreed to share information, conduct joint operations against drug traffickers and establish a drug enforcement training center in the Nicaraguan capital Managua.
Ivanov also said on Tuesday during a news conference that the FSKN had taken part in an operation in eastern Afghanistan to seize almost 21 tons of heroin.