Support The Moscow Times!

Germany Extradites Cocaine Smuggling Suspect to Russia

Alexander Scherbak / TASS

A German court has reportedly extradited the suspected mastermind of a busted South American cocaine-smuggling operation to Russia.

Five people were arrested in February following a year-long investigation after more than 350 kilograms of cocaine were discovered at the school grounds of the Russian Embassy in Argentina. Andrei Kovalchuk, who is suspected of being the supplier of the drugs, was arrested by German police in March.

"Kovalchuk has been extradited from Germany to Russia… He has been charged with smuggling drugs," the state-run TASS news agency quoted Kovalchuk’s lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, as saying Monday.

Zherebenkov told Novaya Gazeta that his client had been flown to Russia on Friday, more than a week before the deadline to appeal his extradition.

Kovalchuk has denied his guilt, maintaining that his shipment of expensive coffee and tobacco aboard a Russian presidential plane to Moscow from Argentina had been replaced by cocaine in a “provocation.”

One of the suspects detained in Russia told the court earlier in July that he had loaned Kovalchuk 12 million rubles (almost $193,000) “to buy a batch of elite coffee.”

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more