Uzbekistan Seizes 37.6 kg of Drugs Smuggled From Afghanistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Law enforcement agencies in Uzbekistan's Surkhandarya Region have seized 37.6 kg of narcotic substances smuggled into the country from Afghanistan.

According to law enforcement authorities, officers of the Surkhandarya Regional Directorate of the State Security Service, together with the regional Department of Internal Affairs, uncovered the illegal import of 25 kg 444 g of opium and 11 kg 86 g of hashish into Uzbekistan.

As part of an operation to identify the recipients of the shipment, the narcotics were delivered under the supervision of security agencies to the city of Samarkand. Two Uzbek citizens born in 1989 and 1997, as well as two foreign nationals born in 1993 and 1995, were detained while receiving the shipment.

In a separate operation at the International Trade Center in Termez, two Afghan citizens born in 1955 and 2001 were detained while attempting to sell 1 kg 76 g of opium for US$5,000.

According to investigators, the narcotics were smuggled across the border using a concealment method known as a "live container".

Criminal cases have been opened in both incidents under articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan relating to smuggling and the illegal trafficking of narcotic substances.

The suspects have been placed in custody, and investigative actions are ongoing.