Russia detains Italian citizen with hashish at the border

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's customs service said on Thursday that an Italian man had been detained at the border with Latvia after officers found 170 grams of hashish in his motorcycle bag with a street value of about $5,000.

The 30-year-old man, whom authorities did not name, was arrested by officers from the Federal Security Service (FSB)while trying to enter Russia's western Pskov region by motorcycle. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

"During an inspection of the vehicle and luggage, the staff found a box with nuts and dried fruits in the toolbox, and inside it two briquettes with a green-brown plastic substance," the customs service said.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Gareth Jones)

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