DUSHANBE, May 5, 2010, Asia-Plus — Officers from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) have warded off 10 drug trafficking attempts across the country and seized more than 13 kilograms of narcotics since May 1, when an annual anti-drug operation, dubbed Kuknor (Poppy), was launched in Tajikistan.
The source at a MoI said the 38-year-old resident of the Bobojonghafurov district in Sughd province, A.B., was detained on May 3 on suspicion of having been involved in drug pushing. Some 11 kilograms of hashish were confiscated from him.
Launched on May 1, the Operation Kuknor is aimed at discovering and destroying illicit plantations of narcotics-containing crops and plantations of wild hemp as well combating drug trafficking. The operation has involved representatives from the ministries of interior, justice, health and culture, as well as the state committee for national security, border service and the drug control agency.
The drug control agency is coordinating the anti-drug operation, Kuknor-2010, that runs through November 30 this year.
