MOSCOW, July 11 (RAPSI) – Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court has extended detention of three defendants in a notorious case over attempted cocaine smuggling from Argentina to Russia for three months, the court’s spokesperson Anastasia Dzyurko has told RAPSI.
Vladimir Kalmykov and Ishtimir Khudzhamov will remain in detention until October 13, another defendant Ali Abyanov will stay jailed until October 12.
One more defendant Andrey Kovalchuk has been arrested in absentia. Currently, he is waiting for a decision on his extradition in German detention.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, law enforcement authorities of Russia and Argentina have collaboratively suppressed delivery of a large consignment of drugs (cocaine) from Argentina to Europe. The drugs ready for delivery were found in one of the Russian embassy buildings in Buenos Aires in 2016. Cocaine allegedly belonged to an embassy technical staff member, whose duty journey was over by that time. During the conducted operation, Russian and Argentinean citizens were arrested, the ministry’s statement reads.