DUSHANBE, July 13, Asia-Plus — 421 drug-related crimes have been registered in Tajikistan over the first six months of the year, which is four cases more than in the same period of 2006, the Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA) Director Rustam Nazarov announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 12.
Over the report period, Tajik law enforcement agencies and special services have intercepted more than 2,870 kilograms of drugs, which is 17.2. percent more than in January-June 2006, the Tajik drug control chief said, adding that compared to last year, they have seized opiates 4.6 times more.
According to him, the counternarcotics agency has destroyed 1,029 kilograms of drugs in a number of drug burnings since the beginning of the year. The drugs were confiscated in the course of 2006-07.
Over the report period, the DCA officers haves topped 59 attempts of drug trafficking and seized more than 521 kilograms of drugs, the drug control kingpin said.
“Over the same six-month period, 63 criminal proceedings have been instituted on drug trafficking charges; 56 of them have already moved to courts,” Nazarov said, adding that their officers have neutralized eight organized criminal groups dealing with drug trafficking in January-June, and some 67 kilograms of drugs have been confiscated from those groups.
During a briefing, it was also noted that over the report period, liaison officers from the DCA local office in Afghanistan in cooperation with law enforcement agencies of Afghanistan had carried out five joint operations that led to the seizure of 257.53 kilograms of drugs, including some 165 kilograms of heroin. More than 54 hectares of poppy plantations have been destroyed and two heroin labs have been liquidated.
