State Security Service Officers Prevent Transit of Large Drug Shipment from Afghanistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Officers of Uzbekistan’s State Security Service (SSS) intercepted a large shipment of narcotics en route from Tashkent to Ferghana.

During an operational inspection at the “Chinor” traffic police checkpoint in the Akhangaran district of Tashkent region, officers stopped a Cobalt vehicle driven by a 1988-born resident of Ferghana.

Upon examination, 4.897 kilograms of hashish were found on a passenger — a 1971-born citizen of Kyrgyzstan, residing in Osh.

According to the investigation, the Kyrgyz national had retrieved the drugs from a cache located in the Bukhara district. A subsequent search of the area uncovered an additional 45.052 kilograms of hashish, bringing the total amount seized to nearly 50 kilograms.

A criminal case has been opened by the Investigation Department of the SSS Directorate in the Bukhara region under Articles 246 and 273 of the Criminal Code. The suspects have been placed in pre-trial detention.

Preliminary findings indicate that the narcotics were smuggled from Afghanistan into Bukhara region and were intended for transit through Uzbekistan.