Uzbek Police Bust Synthetic Drug Trafficking Network

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan law enforcement authorities have dismantled a transnational criminal network suspected of smuggling and distributing synthetic drugs, detaining five people in Tashkent, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The operation was launched after law enforcement received intelligence that members of a transnational syndicate intended to transport synthetic drugs from Russia to Uzbekistan. Authorities subsequently executed a "controlled delivery" operation to document the criminal activity.

In the Chilanzar district of Tashkent, officers detained a 17-year-old high school student acting as a storekeeper for an online drug shop. He received a smuggled shipment delivered via the Yandex service, in which officers discovered 180 grams of alpha-PVP hidden inside a chainsaw.

Two accomplices acting as couriers were detained while retrieving hidden drugs. An inspection of their Telegram accounts revealed they had already placed six hidden stashes containing hashish oil prior to their arrest.

Law enforcement later detained a 34-year-old man who also served as a storekeeper and received illicit goods via Yandex. Officers seized 500 grams of alpha-PVP and 50 grams of another substance concealed in his rotary hammer.

A fifth suspect, a 27-year-old previously convicted of fraud, was apprehended in the Yunusabad district while collecting 500 grams of alpha-PVP from a location provided by an online coordinator.

A criminal case has been opened under Article 273, Part 6, Clause "a" of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, which covers the illegal sale and distribution of narcotics and psychotropic substances. All suspects have been placed in custody as authorities work to identify additional individuals involved in the operation.