Police make record drug bust

  • 2008-06-11
  • By Adam Mullett

A NOSE FOR NARCOTICS: Border Guard drug sniffing dogs were able to find the substances despite the smugglers' attempts to mask the smell with coffee.

VILNIUS - Police seized over three kilograms of amphetamines in Lithuania, resulting in the arrest of one Latvian citizen. The record drug haul has an approximate street value of 120,000 litas (35,000 euros).
It is the second drug trafficking arrest of a Latvian national in recent days. 
The latest incident occurred on June 5 at the Lithuanian-Latvian border. Border guards stopped the suspicious BMW 525 and checked the car using drug detection dogs. They then found a large stash of narcotics behind the front bumper.

The police dogs found three foil packets behind the bumper in a factory designed crevice intended for the installation of additional halogen headlights.
Police were tipped off  there would be an attempt to traffic a large amount of drugs into Latvia.
After the tip-off, a border guard crew was immediately sent to the Kalviai 's Meitene border checkpoint. A State Border Guard Service squad and customs officers accompanied them.

The State Border Guard Service is a joint effort between Latvia and Lithuania to stem international crime.
In an attempt to fool the drug detection dogs, the traffickers wrapped the drugs in plastic bags and a thick layer of smell-neutralizing coffee grounds.
This case follows another case where local police in the southern city of Mariampole caught another Latvian man. State Border Guard Service press officer, Rokas Pukinskas, said that despite the similarities, the two cases are not connected in any way.

Pukinskas said that traffickers were found on the border about once per month.
"We are able to act when we receive information 's then we go out and catch them," he said.
A pre-trial investigation for trafficking illegal drugs was launched in the Siauliai unit of the State Border Guard Service. The Latvian citizen has been detained for a two-day period.
Officers of the Siauliai unit will address a court on June 13 in an attempt to keep the man in custody for a longer period.

The investigation of the Mariampole case is also continuing. According to legislation, violators face 10 to 15 years in prison for possession of psychotropic substances.
When sold in small doses in the black market, amphetamine is mixed with various substances such as pain killers, caffeine or soda powder. Drug dealers do this in order to maximize profits by using less pure amphetamines.

Amphetamines have many uses, such as enhancing performance or getting high. Young adults who abuse amphetamines may be at greater risk of suffering a heart attack, according to studies.