Attempt to Smuggle 191 kg of Hashish Thwarted in Surkhandarya

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 8 April, a major drug smuggling attempt was intercepted at the Ayritom border customs post in the Surkhandarya region. A cargo truck traveling in transit from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan, driven by a 1990-born citizen of Uzbekistan, was transporting 750 Afghan pressure cookers, with documentation listing a total cargo weight of 4.1 tons.

An initial scan using the Z-Portal inspection system identified suspicious containers. A follow-up examination using X-ray equipment at the Termez customs post warehouse confirmed the anomalies, with investigators noting the unusual thickness and shape of specific cookers.

Upon cutting open the vessels with specialized tools, it was discovered that the cookers featured a double-layered construction: an outer iron shell and an inner aluminum lining. The gap between the layers was used to conceal the narcotics. Approximately 191 kg of hashish was seized from 210 of the 750 cookers. The preliminary market value of the seized substance is estimated to exceed US$5 million.

So far this year, customs authorities have intercepted over 240 legal violations and seized approximately 780 kg of narcotics, preventing their illegal transit across borders and through domestic channels. A pre-trial investigation into the seizure of this large shipment is currently underway.