NIZHNY NOVGOROD. Dec 18 (Interfax-AVN) - Forty-two officials of foreign embassies and secret services have visited the Nizhny Novgorod region this year, head of the Federal Security Service (FSB) department in the region Vladimir Bulavin said on Tuesday.
The foreigners "took special interest in defense industry enterprises of the area and the political situation in the region," Bulavin told a news conference.
Taking a question from Interfax-Military News Agency, Bulavin said that "results of the department's activity look a bit better in comparison with the year 2000."
FSB agents have seized 77kg of explosives, 20 pieces of firearms, seven rounds for the RPG grenade launchers, two high- explosive shells, 11 signal shells for mortars, about 12,000 cartridges of various caliber, 33 exploders, 17 electric detonators and six meters of safety fuse in the region this year, Bulavin noted.
Besides, they carried out a large-scale operation aimed at tapping drug delivery channels, confiscating about 50kg of heroin and the largest batch of metadone ever seized in Russia, this being 1.5kg.
The FSB department's investigation department has brought 22 criminal cases, including six on charges of illegal crossing of the Russian border. Besides, other law-enforcement agencies have launched 55 criminal cases using materials provided by the department.