It was the largest cocaine haul in Russian history. Putin’s close associate, Viktor Cherkesov, oversaw the investigation. And then the cocaine seemingly disappeared without a trace.
A convicted Israeli smuggler suggested in an exclusive interview with RFE/RL that the drug bust ended up as one of Putin’s early sources of wealth.
This is the first story in a new series by
Current Time &
Radio Svoboda that examines the beginnings of Vladimir Putin’s political career, marred by corruption scandals and scams even before it took off.
