Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, detained in May in Liberia and sent to the United States, is accused of transporting four metric tons of cocaine for $5.7 million, Kommersant reported Wednesday.
U.S. prosecutors believe that Yaroshenko has trafficked illegal drugs since 2007, the report said.
The Russian Embassy in Washington has complained to the U.S. State Department that Yaroshenko was arrested and brought to U.S. soil without Moscow receiving proper notification.
Kommersant said Yaroshenko agreed at a meeting in Kiev in March to transport the cocaine from South America to Liberia and Ghana, which are used as transit points in a roundabout route to the United States.
Yaroshenko and five other suspects face up to 40 years in prison if convicted on drug trafficking charges.
(MT)
