Illegal Drug Manufacturing Network Dismantled in Andijan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Authorities in Andijan Region have uncovered and dismantled an illegal operation producing and distributing pharmaceutical products without verified quality.

The operation was exposed through coordinated actions by the Customs Anti-Smuggling Department, the State Security Service, law enforcement agencies, and the National Guard.

Investigations revealed that three residents from the cities of Andijan and Asaka, as well as Asaka District, conspired to set up hidden laboratories and workshops for producing drugs in residential premises.

During inspections, authorities seized counterfeit medicines, production equipment, empty vials, labels, instructions, packaging materials, stamps, and other paraphernalia as evidence.

In total, authorities confiscated four units of equipment valued at 1.25 billion soums, six stamps, 214,000 empty vials and containers of various types, and 286,676 units of drugs across 163 names without verified quality.

Counterfeit products included Tivortin, Layboten, Revarton, Diprospan, Riyabolel, Cefazolin, Streptomitsin, and Ampicillin. The market value of authentic equivalents is estimated at approximately 10 billion soums.

The crackdown protects intellectual property rights, prevents health risks for over 200,000 people, and highlights that clandestine drug production is not only an economic crime but also a direct threat to public health.