A total of 174 kilograms of heroin was seized near the southwest port of Odessa, Ukraine, in the largest drug bust this year, the country`s security service said Monday, according to RIA Novosti.
The operation, which also involved the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Turkey`s law enforcement authorities, led to the arrest of a group of Turkish nationals. According to law enforcement officials, the drugs were being smuggled from Iran to Western Europe, through Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, and Poland.
"This is one of the largest hauls this year," a spokesman for the security service organized crime department said.
The drug haul was discovered in a truck that was traveling from Georgia.
Ukraine`s Security Service has confiscated over 460 kilograms of heroin worth $32 million this year, which is more than the total heroin seized for the last 15 years.
