Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Law enforcement officers in Chirchiq, in the Tashkent region, have detained a 17-year-old schoolboy while he was receiving a parcel from Russia containing 852.2 grams of hashish, Uzbekistan's Customs Committee said.
The operation was carried out by staff of the Customs Committee's anti-smuggling department together with units of the State Security Service and the Interior Ministry as part of an international controlled delivery operation.
According to the agency, the minor, born in 2009, was detained at the moment of receiving the shipment. When the parcel was opened in the presence of attesting witnesses, it emerged that the narcotic substance had been hidden in four tin cans. The total mass of the seized hashish was 852.2 grams.
During a subsequent search of the teenager's home, law enforcement officers found electronic scales, small zip bags and adhesive tape. According to the Customs Committee, these items could have been used for packaging and distributing drugs. They were seized as material evidence.
The agency said the seized quantity of hashish corresponds to more than 60,000 doses. Its black market value was estimated at almost US$600,000.
The Customs Committee urged parents to monitor more closely the social media contacts of minors and how they spend their free time.
A criminal case has been opened over the incident.
