The police seized over 8,000 tubes of viper venom of the highest concentration. The substance was smuggled into Moldova and was to be sold for €2.8 million. On the world market, such a quantity of venom costs US$5 million, IPN reports, quoting the General Police Inspectorate.

Five persons were arrested in this case. They are aged between 25 and 53 and are from Chisinau municipality. They told the police that the venom was brought from Afghanistan and was to be sold for €400 a gram. On the international market, a gram of viper venom costs €800 to € 2,000, depending on its purity and protein concentration.

The smugglers will be under arrest for 72 hours. They face up to ten years behind bars.

The viper venom is used in medicine and is wanted mainly by the Western drug factories.