The Dorogomilovsky court is hearing a case on the smuggling of 400 kg of "ambassadorial" cocaine from Argentina. The case promised to become an international "bomb", since it was already given a go. The main accused Andrei Kovalchuk did not officially disclose anything about his biography. According to the telegram channel VChK-OGPU, he unofficially gave several versions. First: he was an employee of the M Department of the FSB of the Russian Federation, who was once assigned to the Security Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Second: he is an employee of the GRU, acting under the cover of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Officially, the investigation has such a picture. Born in the city of Hertz, Chernivtsi region of Ukraine. He served in the internal troops and evaporated. There is no further trace of such a person. He showed up in 2013, when it is not clear on what grounds he received a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. Witnesses and defendants testify that they knew Kovalchka as employees of the Security Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Whenever he wanted to come to the Russian embassies, not only in Argentina, but also in other countries, in particular in Germany.
Hundreds of kilograms of drugs bought in Latin America were stored in the building of the Russian embassy, then on special flights, under the guise of personal belongings of the embassy employees, they were sent to Moscow. In 2016, a "glitch" occurred in a well-oiled system. The manager of the embassy, Ali Abyanov, who was responsible for storing and transporting the cargo, was unexpectedly recalled to Moscow. And the new farm manager with the embassy's "security officer" discovered Abyanov's "legacy" - 12 suitcases stuffed with cocaine. What would the representatives of the special services, who were immediately informed of the emergency, usually do? They would simply flush the entire load down the toilet and only a small group of people remained to know about what happened. However, in this situation, the FSB of the Russian Federation decided to give a course to the materials and even involve Argentine colleagues in the operation. Rucriminal.info cites the protocol of interrogation of the former manager of the Russian Embassy in Argentina, Ali Abyanov.
Abyanov said that he worked in this position from August 2011 to August 2016, and he met Kovalchuk in 2012. From his words, he learned that he works in the Security Service of the Russian Embassy in Germany. Around the same time, cooperation between Abyanov and Kovalchuk began. The latter, being in Argentina, asked Abyanov to hold a suitcase weighing 25-30 kg in the embassy building, and then send it with a special plane to Russia. For this service, Kovalchuk paid Abyanov $ 1,000. The suitcase was in the embassy building and waited in the wings, until at the end of 2012 Ali sent it with a Russian cargo plane from Montevideo airport in Uruguay.
In 2014, Kovalchuk again flew to Argentina. This time he left Abyanov with two suitcases, which the supply manager soon sent to Moscow from Uruguay on a military transport plane. At the end of 2015, history repeated itself and two more suitcases were sent from Buenos Aires to Moscow. For each of them, Andrei paid Abyanov $ 1,000.
And in mid-2016, Kovalchuk gave Ali ten suitcases. Abyanov took them to the school garage at the embassy, the auxiliary worker packed each suitcase like a diplomatic mail. Then they were placed in the back room of the school. Most notably, in Ali's testimony, ten suitcases mysteriously turn into 12. Where the other two came from is completely incomprehensible.
In August 2016, it was time for Abyanov to return to Russia. He told the new manager Rogov about the suitcases and asked him to send the cargo to Russia. According to Ali, he learned that the suitcases contained cocaine only after the arrest.
“On the merits of my suspicions, I can show the following: From August 2011 to August 2016, I worked as the head of the farm (supply manager) at the Russian Embassy in Argentina. Approximately in the middle of 2012, I don’t remember the exact date, Andrey Fedorovich Kovalchuk, who was not familiar to me, called me on the office phone, as he introduced himself to me. From his words, I understood that he worked in the security service of the Russian Embassy in Germany. He told me about this himself. During the specified period of time, that is, during the period of my work at the Embassy, Kovalchuk came several times, about 4-5 times, to Argentina. For what purpose he came, I do not know. On his first visit, Kovalchuk met with me, asking me to accompany him to the airport by car. I agreed. When he left, he loaded his belongings into the trunk of the Santa Fe car, including one suitcase. When we arrived at the airport, Kovalchuk unloaded his luggage from the car, except for this suitcase. He asked me to send this suitcase later, and when there is a plane to send this suitcase, he will also inform me later. At the same time, he explained that the suitcase contains expensive wine, coffee, cookies for gifts. The suitcase was about 25-30 kg heavy. I figured that there were about 20-25 bottles of wine in the suitcase, since this was the same weight. I did not open this suitcase. Kovalchuk left an envelope in the passenger compartment, which contained money in the amount of USD 1,000, which he left me as if for work ... I put this suitcase in the warehouse located in the Embassy. At Kovalchuk's request, around the end of 2012, I sent this suitcase by a Russian cargo plane from Montevideo airport in Uruguay. Further, in about 2014, Kovalchuk flew to Argentina on his own business. When I accompanied Kovalchuk to the airport for a flight to Russia, I met him at the exit of the hotel, the name of which I don’t remember now, but is closer to the center. Kovalchuk always lived in a hotel located at the intersection of Suipache and Paraguay Streets, two blocks from the Conquistador Hotel on ul. Suipacha. He left this hotel with his things, among which were two suitcases. Having loaded things into the Santa Fe car, Kovalchuk told me to keep two suitcases for myself in order to send them later to Russia on his instructions. Kovalchuk said that these suitcases contain expensive wine and coffee biscuits for gifts. He assured me that there was nothing criminal in the suitcases. After some time, at the direction of Kovalchuk, I sent these two suitcases to Russia by military transport plane from the airport in Uruguay. Kovalchuk also, before sending the suitcases to Russia, pointed out to me the need for special packing of suitcases using wrapping paper, twine and wax seal. Usually, diplomatic mail is packed in this way, which is not subject to inspection.
Around the end of 2015, I don't remember the exact time now, Kovalchuk came to Argentina again. Kovalchuk also lived in a hotel located at the intersection of Suipache and Paraguay streets. This time, he left two suitcases, which he took in a Santa Fe car for storage in the garage of the school at the embassy. In the garage I packed them like the previous suitcases. For these 2 suitcases, I received 2000 US dollars from Kovalchuk.
In mid-2016, while in Argentina, Kovalchuk handed me 10 suitcases. This time, Kovalchuk lived in another cheaper hotel, located at the intersection of Askoenaga and Peña streets. However, I do not remember the exact location of this hotel, since I was there once. I don't remember the name of the hotels where Kovalchuk lived. Kovalchuk himself pulled all 10 suitcases from the hotel. I helped Kovalchuk load all 10 suitcases into the Santa Fe car. This car has folding passenger seats. Due to their addition, the volume of the luggage compartment increases. It was easy to load into this car
all 10 suitcases and she could easily go with this load. From the words of Kovalchuk, I learned that the suitcases contained wine and semi-precious stones. At the direction of Kovalchuk, I transported 10 suitcases to the garage of the school at the Embassy. I took Kovalchuk to the Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires about the next day, I don't remember exactly now. The suitcases were not packed for about a week. A week after the delivery, at my request, one of the Dronov workers packed his suitcases as diplomatic mail. 12 suitcases were in the garage. About ten days before my departure from Argentina, I alone moved all 12 suitcases to the understairs school premises so that they would not get in the way of the garage. In August 2016, when I left Argentina in connection with the termination of my employment contract during the handover and acceptance of the premises of the Russian Embassy in Argentina, I informed my replacement Rogov about 12 suitcases that belonged to Kovalchuk. Before that, Kovalchuk called me. At the same time, he told me that he would agree with Rogov about sending 12 suitcases to Russia. All suitcases were packed like a pouch. I learned that the suitcases contained cocaine when I was detained by police officers. Before that I had no idea about the contents, I thought that I was smuggling wine, coffee and semi-precious stones that were in the last suitcases. "
Roman Trushkin
To be continued
