DUSHANBE, January 22, Asia-Plus — Chiefs of counternarcotics agencies of Tajikistan (Rustam Nazarov) and Kyrgyzstan (Alimbay Sultanov) signed a cooperation agreement in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on January 21, Vaysiddin Azamatov, the first deputy chief of Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA), said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
The agreement provides for cooperation in discovering drug-trafficking routes and channels of financing by drug dealers of international terrorist activity, as well as carrying out joint anti-drug operations.
Besides, the counternarcotics agencies of the two countries will develop direct contacts, exchange of experience and implement the plan on training of personnel, including exchanging representatives.
According to DCA, joint operations carried out by the Tajik and Kyrgyz counternarcotics agencies led to dismantling a number of organized drug-trafficking groups and discovering channels through which Afghan heroin, marijuana and opium are being smuggled into Central Asia.
Thus, as a result of the joint operation carried out in 2007 the organized drug-trafficking group, consisting of citizens of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, was dismantled and more than 54 kilograms of raw opium were confiscated from them.
We will recall that Tajik law enforcement agencies seized 5,270 kilograms of drugs last year, which is 10 percent more than in 2006.
