According to Andrejs Grišins, head of the criminal police department, on January 8 at the Koknese municipality the police seized 42 boxes with 2,195 packages of cocaine. Each had 1,000 grams of cocaine in it. Tests are still being carried out, but express analyses have indicated that the stash contains cocaine of an 80% purity.
Grišins said the entire stash, if sold wholesale, would cost around €65m, or three to four times as much if sold on the street.
The cocaine was likely destined for Scandinavia or Russia, as cocaine is relatively expensive in the Latvian market, and the variety sold in Latvia is usually much less pure. The investigation continues.
Five Latvian nationals have are suspected in the case, with three kept behind bars and two put under police scrutiny.
Ints Ķuzis, head of the State Police, said that the huge drug bust was enabled with the help of Ecuadorian police and the Copenhagen office of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
