Pubdate: Thu, 14 Jan 1999
Source: ITAR-TASS (Russia)
Copyright: 1999 ITAR-TASS.

3-MLN-DOLLAR WORTH OF DRUGS SEIZED IN ST PETERSBURG IN 1998.

ST.PETERSBURG, January 14 (Itar-Tass) - Security officials seized drugs with
a  street value exceeding three million dollars in St.Petersburg and its
region in  1998, local security department press service told Itar-Tass on
Thursday.

St.Petersburg is one of the Russian cities where drug-pushers' activity is
especially conspicuous, although attempts to smuggle narcotics in have
decreased compared to four years ago.

The biggest seizure in 1998 was a one-million-dollar 10- kilogram batch of
cocaine from Latin America.

Besides, local security officials arrested 17 drug-dealers from Russia and
Tajikistan with more than two kilograms of heroin.

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