Smuggled Methadone Worth Over $92Mln Seized in Moscow Airport - Customs Service

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2019) A batch of smuggled methadone worth over 5.8 billion rubles ($92.68 million) was seized in Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport earlier this month, the illegal drugs were supposed to be carried from Germany to Tajikistan, the Russian Federal Customs Service said on Tuesday.

"A large batch of undeclared narcotic substance methadone, which was being transited from Germany to Tajikistan, was seized by employees of the Vnukovo [Airport] customs service in the beginning of December 2019. The price for this cargo in the 'black market' can exceed 5.8 billion rubles," the Federal Customs Service said in a statement.

As many as 2,400 polymeric bottles with the colorless liquid were taken by an aircraft that arrived from Cologne to a temporary storage warehouse, where they were discovered by customs officers.

The airport's customs service opened on December 6 a criminal case under article "Large-scale smuggling of narcotic drugs," the Federal Customs Service said.

Methadone is a synthetic opiod, which is used legally in many countries, including Tajikistan, for replacement therapy for heroine addicts. Russia does not use methadone in replacement therapy.