State Security Service Seizes Large Drug Shipments

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in cooperation with internal affairs and customs control personnel, has carried out a series of operations to disrupt illegal drug trafficking channels in the Ferghana and Khorezm regions. Targeted raids resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of heavy drugs and synthetic psychoactive substances.

In the Ferghana Region, a joint operational team intercepted inter-district drug trafficking. In the Buvayda district, officers from the State Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs blocked and stopped a Chevrolet Cobalt passenger car for a search on the Margilan – Buvayda highway.

During a physical search of the vehicle and its occupants in the presence of witnesses, a dense package was found on a passenger who is a resident of the Kushtepa district. Forensic examination confirmed that the seized substance was hashish, with a net weight of 1 kilogram 187 grams.

Concurrently in the west of the country, in the city of Urgench, operatives from the State Security Service Department for the Khorezm Region, working with customs officers, detained a previously convicted citizen born in 1995. During a personal search of the suspect and an urgent search of his temporary residence, law enforcement officers discovered packaged drugs. Experts identified 620 grams of hashish and 297 grams of the synthetic psychostimulant mephedrone.

During the initial interrogation of the detainee, the supply channels were uncovered. It was established that the seized narcotic and psychotropic substances had been smuggled into Uzbekistan from the Russian Federation.

Investigative authorities have opened criminal cases regarding both incidents, and comprehensive investigative actions are underway to identify other members of the criminal network.