Officers of the drug squad of Estonia's North police prefecture seized more than a kilogram of cocaine and a large amount of ecstasy tablets in mid-April from a suspected trafficker. The market value of the drugs is estimated at approximately 1.5 million kroons (96,000 euros).
The man identified by the police only as 43-year-old Valeri was detained in Tallinn on April 12. A search of a garage he was using found 1,100 grams of cocaine and 1,600 tablets of ecstasy.
Police also found 42,500 euros in cash during a search of two apartments connected with their investigation.
This was the largest amount of cocaine ever discovered by the drug squad, superintendent Kaido Koplas said. Confiscating large amounts of narcotics and capturing traffickers is an effective tool in the fight against organized drug crime, he observed.
The amount of drugs seized and the way it was packaged led the police to the conclusion that the man was involved in drug smuggling. If convicted he faces an imprisonment of up to 20 years. The court could also sentence him to life in jail.
