Two Cocaine Smuggling Suspects Re-arrested Linked to Russian Embassy Scheme

Two individuals have been re-arrested in Argentina in the case involving the smuggling of 400 kg of cocaine found at a school associated with the Russian Embassy, reports NewsBox. 

Argentine authorities have once again apprehended Ivan Bliznyuk and Alexander Chikalo, who are accused of attempting to smuggle nearly 400 kg of cocaine, discovered on the premises of the Russian diplomatic school.

According to the channel Current Time, citing lawyer Liliana Borysiuk, former police officer Bliznyuk and ship mechanic Chikalo were initially detained in late December 2024. They were sent to Marcos Paz prison near Buenos Aires.

The Argentine prosecutor's office maintains that they were part of a criminal network that stored drugs on Russian diplomatic grounds, intending to smuggle them to Russia. They were arrested in 2018, and in 2022, the court sentenced Bliznyuk to 7.7 years in prison and Chikalo to 6 years.

However, shortly after their sentencing, both were granted conditional early release: Chikalo was released in June 2022, while Bliznyuk was freed in September.

Subsequently, Prosecutor Abel Cordoba called for the case to be revisited, as investigations indicated their involvement was more significant than previously thought. In September 2024, the Supreme Court of Argentina extended their sentences: Bliznyuk to 10 years and Chikalo to 8 years of incarceration.