MOSCOW, November 27 (RAPSI) – The Solntevsky District Court will hold a preliminary hearing of the case over cocaine smuggling from Argentina to Russia on November 29, RAPSI was told in the court’s press service on Wednesday.

All the defendants, Andrey Kovalchuk, Vladimir Kalmykov, Ali Abyanov and Ishtimir Khudzhamov are charged with drug trafficking and illegal production, sale or transportation of drugs.

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 stated earlier.