Cape Verde police have detained 11 Russian sailors for the suspected smuggling of more than nine tonnes of cocaine, Russian news agencies reported citing local police.

The street value of the seized shipment is about $2billion

RIA news agency said the ship ESER, sailing under Panama’s flag, was heading to Tangier in Morocco from Panama. It was detained after it stopped at Porto Praia following the death of a crew member.

The Russian embassy in Cape Verde, an archipelago off the coast of West Africa, declined immediate comment when contacted by phone on Saturday. According to Refinitive data, the vessel ESER remains in Porto Praia.

Last February, six suspected drug traffickers were arrested after 389 kg (858 pounds) of cocaine was found in the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires.

*In 2015, the security services in UK intercepted a shipment of three tonnes of cocaine at Aberdeen, with value put at £500 million. (Evening Standard)