A key figure in Colombia's fight against the drugs trade says one of the biggest problems facing Latin America's anti-drugs squads is the Russian Mafia.

The head of the Colombian police, General Rosso Jose Serrano, told a drugs conference in Costa Rica, that the Russian Mafia was trying to expand into drugs trafficking in Colombia and Brazil.

General Serrano also warned that drug traffickers planned to increase shipments of drugs to France, where football's World Cup is taking place later this year.

The conference has brought together experts and police officers from all over Latin America, with observers from Europe and Asia also attending.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service