vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #149 / Crime watch / Reading article...

Cops bust opium smuggler for huge stash

Authorities made one of the largest drug seizures in Vladivostok recently. Mahrami Madjid Mahmud, 28, from Iran had been trying to get to Japan illegally by boat. Police found 1.8 kg of opium disguised as vegetable product in tin cans in his luggage. One gram of opium fetches at least $25 on the black market.

Fake vodka makers foiled

Police found a fake-vodka production center on the outskirts of Vladivostok Aug. 18. Three Russians and two Armenians were running the underground factory; officials found 47 boxes of vodka as well as assorted supplies and equipment.

Teen thugs shoot Nakhodka businessman

A group of young men recently shot and injured a businessman in Nakhodka. After shooting the man in the shoulder, the thugs spotted police officers nearby and tried to escape. The police shot and arrested three, but the others escaped. An investigation is underway.