An international narcotics sting that began with the discovery of millions of dollars worth of cocaine inside the Russian embassy compound in Buenos Aires has turned into a public-relations nightmare for the Kremlin, after it emerged that a Russian government jet had apparently been lined up to smuggle the drugs.

Some Russian commentators are calling it a scandal on a par with Airforce One being used to carry illegal narcotics, after the Argentinian police published photos of the suspect aircraft — which has previously had President Vladimir Putin as a passenger.

The Kremlin has lashed out at domestic media coverage of what’s been dubbed the “cocaine affair”, even denouncing some stories as “fake” — a label usually reserved for irksome reports in the foreign media. Ironically, the Russian government initially hailed its sting operation with the Argentinian authorities as a model of international cooperation when it was first revealed.

The story began with Argentinian police discovering suitcases stuffed with more than 850 pounds of cocaine inside the grounds of the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires in December, 2016. Diplomats there reportedly helped the Argentinian drugs squad in swapping out the cocaine for flour and planting GPS tracking devices in the cases. Russian police then arrested the recipients when the suitcases reached Moscow.