Three persons sentenced to nine to ten years in prison in Koknese cocaine case

RIGA - In the so-called Koknese cocaine cargo case, the Economic Affairs Court found three persons guilty, sentencing one of them to ten years in prison and two others to nine years in prison.

According to LETA, the three persons, in an organized group, illegally acquired, possessed and transported for the purpose of sale 2,197 kilograms of a white powdery substance containing 1,758 kilograms of cocaine.

One person was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment and three years' probation supervision. Two other persons were sentenced to nine years' imprisonment and three years' probation supervision. All persons were sentenced to a term of imprisonment which included the time spent in detention and custody.

One defendant was found not guilty and acquitted of the charge of large-scale money laundering from an unspecified criminal offence.

However, the court ruled that the defendant's immovable property and the vehicle he was using, the value of which did not correspond to the amount of his lawful income, should be subject to special confiscation, since they had been declared to be the proceeds of crime.

The accused were involved in an international organized group with other persons, against whom the criminal proceedings have been separated into separate proceedings.

As reported, on January 8, 2019, a consignment of 42 cardboard boxes shipped from Ecuador was found in the territory of a private house in Koknese municipality. The boxes contained 2,195 cocaine briquettes with different logos - "TNT", "Badboys", "Gold" and a picture of a dolphin.

The seized drug was submitted for forensic analysis, which showed that the mixture contained approximately 80 percent cocaine, indicating that it was of very high quality.

During the investigation, it was established that the cocaine consignment was not destined for the Latvian market, but that Latvia was used as a transit country for the shipment to other countries.

Andrejs Grisins, the Criminal Police chief, said earlier that the value of the cargo could be around EUR 65 million. The price of cocaine increases several-fold as it is sold at retail, so the retail value of such a shipment could be "close to a billion" euros.

A statement on the Ecuadorian police website said that the nearly two tons of cocaine found on the Koknese farm had been smuggled into Europe hidden in a shipping container with accompanying documents indicating foodstuffs.

One person remains wanted in the case.