DUSHANBE, August 8, 2012, Asia-Plus – Faridoun Umarov, the head of the department for combating drug trafficking (drug police) at the police station in the Farkhor district, Khatlon province has got a long jail term for the involvement in drug trafficking.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports that a court in Dushanbe’s Sino district sentenced Faridoun Umarov, who is also known under the nickname “Panther,” to seven years in prison on August 7. The sentence followed his conviction on charges of drug trafficking.
Three other men were tried along with Umarov in the same court. The ringleader Rustam Hoitov, also known under the nickname “Hummer,” was sentenced to 24 years in prison and two other persons – Qobil Davlatov and Sayvali Ismoilov – got the jail terms of twelve years and seven years respectively.
Faridoun Umarov is the brother of the first deputy head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), Mansour Umarov. He was detained in January this year on suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking.
The Agency fro State Financial Control and Combating Corruption says Umarov was the member of the organized crime group, which involved several high-ranking law enforcement officers from Khatlon province.
We will recall that a number of high-ranking law enforcement officers were arrested in early January this year for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Major Zafar Mirzoyev, the chief of the department within the Interior Ministry directorate for combating drug trafficking (drug police), and Lieutenant-Colonel Tohirkhon Sherov, the chief of the drug control squad within the Dushanbe police directorate were arrested along with Faridoun Umarov.
According to the anticorruption agency, cases of Major Zafar Mirzoyev and Lieutenant-Colonel Tohirkhon Sherov have moved to a court in Dushanbe’s Firdvasi district.
