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Heroin Market Is Huge

The black market for heroin in Russia, fueled by large-scale production in Afghanistan, is worth $6 billion dollars, Federal Drug Control Service head Viktor Ivanov said Friday.

Ivanov said the marijuana market is worth $1.5 billion, the market for synthetic drugs $1 billion and the cocaine market is much less at $80 million, Interfax reported.

Earlier this month, the drug control service said there are 5 million regular drug users in Russia.

Over the weekend, anti-narcotics forces seized more than 40 kilograms of Afghan heroin from the home of two Tajik natives in St. Petersburg, Ivanov also said Friday.

(MT)

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