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Russian ‘mastermind’ in Argentina cocaine plot arrested in Berlin

German police said on Friday they have arrested Andrei Kovalchuk, the alleged mastermind of a plot to smuggle cocaine to Russia from Moscow's embassy in Argentina.

Published: 2 March 2018 11:03 CET
Russian 'mastermind' in Argentina cocaine plot arrested in Berlin
File photo: DPA

The unusual case came to light last week when Argentine police said they had seized nearly 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of cocaine worth some $62 million (€50 million) hidden in suitcases in the Russian embassy school.

Russia's ambassador had raised the alarm after discovering the drugs in December, prompting the joint operation by the two countries' law enforcement agencies.

Three Russians, including the embassy's former maintenance manager, were detained in Moscow in December, the ministry said. Argentina has also detained two suspects.

A sixth man, Kovalchuk, was believed to be the man who ran the smuggling ring.

On Thursday night, Berlin forces swooped on the alleged mastermind.

“He is now in police custody,” said a Berlin police spokesman.

Prosecutors in Berlin said the 49-year-old Russian national was detained as part of an international investigation spearheaded by Moscow.

“The allegation: founding of a criminal organisation with the aim of smuggling cocaine from Argentina to Russia,” said the prosecutors on Twitter.

Russian news agency Interfax, quoting a source close to the Russian investigation, said Moscow would seek the extradition of Kovalchuk, and that proceedings “could take months, maybe more”.

'Smear campaign'

The case has sparked controversy in Russia, where the media has raised questions over contradictory official accounts of the joint operation snaring the drug ring.

Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich had claimed the gang had sought to use the Russian diplomatic courier service to fly the cocaine to Europe. But Russia's Foreign Ministry denied that the diplomatic pouch was involved in the plot.

After Argentinian police tweeted images of a Russian aircraft used in the sting operation that bears the number of security council chief Nikolai Patrushev's plane, the Kremlin denied involvement of any of its fleet.

Questions were also raised over the whereabouts of the cocaine, with some reports speculating that it had been flown to Moscow in the sting operation, even though Argentinian police said the drugs had been replaced by flour.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Wednesday lashed out at what he called “targeted efforts to smear” the operation, RIA Novosti state news agency reported.

Ryabkov attacked journalists and bloggers for what he described as “dreaming up all kinds of non-existent versions”.

Argentinian investigators believe the cocaine, described as of “very high purity”, likely originated in Colombia or Peru.

It was destined for Russia as well as likely Germany, where Kovalchek lives.

BERLIN

Anmeldung: Berlin to re-launch online housing registration in October

Finding an appointment at the Bürgeramt to register an address has long been an unwanted chore for new arrivals in Berlin - but from October, this gruelling ritual will be a thing of the past.

Published: 19 September 2024 13:51 CEST
Anmeldung: Berlin to re-launch online housing registration in October

Every foreigner who’s lived in the German capital has experienced the stress of trying to find an appointment at the Bürgeramt, or citizens’ office. 

In order to register an address – a process known as the Anmeldung in German – residents generally have to scour a list of available appointments, sometimes waiting weeks for a spot or travelling to a far-flung part of the city to complete the process. 

From mid-October, however, the city has announced that people will be able to register and deregister their place of residence online. The Local has contacted officials to ask for the specific date in October that this is happening and will update this story when we receive the information. 

According to the Senate, the move will free up around 500,000 appointments that would ordinarily have been taken by the hundreds of thousands who move into and around the city each year.

Berlin had briefly offered online registrations during the Covid-19 pandemic, but removed the service once social restrictions were lifted. 

How will the new system work?

The online registration system is apparently based on Hamburg’s system, which was developed under the so-called ‘one-for-all’ (EfA) principle. This means that other states around Germany can adopt the same software as part of their digitalisation efforts.

People who want to register address will need to fill in an online form, provide proof of their new residence and also identify themselves using their electronic ID, which will either be an electronic residence permit or a German or EU ID card. 

READ ALSO: What is Germany’s electronic ID card and how do you use it?

After the process has been completed, a sticker for the ID card will be sent out via post.

Aufenthaltstitel

A German residence permit or ‘Aufenthaltstitel’ with an electronic ID function. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Karmann

This can then be used to update the information on a residents’ eID card and access the registration confirmation digitally.

Those who don’t have access to a validated electronic ID will need to either activate their eID function at the immigration office or Bürgeramt or register their address in person.  

In 2024, the service will only be available for single residents, but online registration for families is also in the pipeline.

Is Berlin making progress with digitalisation?

It certainly seems like it. This latest move is part of a larger push to complete digitalise Berlin’s creaking services and move to a faster, more efficient online system.

At the start of the year, the capital centralised its naturalisation office in the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) and moved all citizenship applications online. 

Since then, citizenship applications have been completed around ten times faster than previously – though tens of thousands of applicants are still waiting for a response on their paper applications.

More recently, the LEA also announced that it had moved to a new appointment-booking system designed to end the predatory practice of appointment touting, or selling appointments for a fee.

Under the new system, many residents permits – including EU Blue Cards – can be directly applied for online, with in-person appointments reserved for collecting the new (or renewed) permit.

READ ALSO: What to know about the new appointments system at Berlin immigration office

Meanwhile, those who can’t apply online yet can access appointments by filling in the contact form, with the LEA hoping that this will deter people from booking appointments with the intention to sell them on. 

In another move to speed up bureaucracy, Berlin also opened a new Bürgeramt in the district of Spandau this September, with the governing CDU announcing on X that more new offices would follow in the near future. 

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