DUSHANBE, July 6, 2009, Asia-Plus — Some 100 drug-trafficking rings have been active in Tajikistan and Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA) has been taking efforts to track their activities, the first deputy director of DCA, Vaysiddin Azamatov, announced at a press conference in Dushanbe on July 6.
According to him, six drug-trafficking rings were broken up last year and their members were arrested.
“According to our data, 62 drug-trafficking gangs are active in Sughd province, 31 others in Khatlon province and four drug-trafficking rings are active in Gorno Badakhshan, the drug control official said, noting that the counternarcotics agency has warded off 86 drug-smuggling attempts over the first six months of this year,” the drug control official said.
“Over the report period, the drug control officers have seized 504 kilograms of narcotics,” said Azamatov, “The DCA has instituted 81 criminal proceedings on drug charges over the same six-month period and 67 cases have already moved to courts.”
Over the report period Tajik law enforcement authorities have seized some 3,000 kilograms of narcotics, including some 1,500 kilograms of drugs intercepted by the Ministry of Interior, 756 kilograms of drugs seized by border guards, 172 kilograms of narcotics intercepted by security officers, and 77 kilograms of drugs intercepted by customs officers.
In January-June 2009, Tajik drug control officers and law enforcement authorities of Afghanistan have carried out 12 joint operations that led to the seizure of more than 630 kilograms of narcotics, including 37 kilograms of heroin, 502 kilograms of raw opium and 91 kilograms of cannabis narcotics as well as three firearms and 300 grams of TNT, Azamatov said.
