Over the past six months, ten armed confrontations have occurred along the Tajik-Afghan border, involving Tajik security forces and armed Afghan drug traffickers. According to Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency (DCA) chief Zafar Samad, the violence is directly linked to ongoing narcotics smuggling operations from Afghanistan.
As reported by Interfax, Samad stated during a press briefing that four Afghan nationals involved in drug trafficking were neutralized in the course of these skirmishes.
Most of the incidents took place in the border areas of Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province. In several cases, traffickers were reportedly equipped with heavy weaponry and advanced equipment, indicating a growing level of sophistication.
The number of clashes marks a significant increase from the same period last year, when six such incidents were recorded in the first half of 2024.
“Afghanistan remains the primary source of narcotics entering Tajikistan. In the first half of 2025, law enforcement and security agencies seized 1,692 kilograms of narcotic substances in border regions with Afghanistan—accounting for 54.4% of the country’s total drug seizures,” Tajik drug control kingpin chief revealed.
He emphasized that in response to Afghanistan’s ongoing instability, Tajikistan is strengthening border security measures and expanding international cooperation to combat illicit drug trafficking.
Recently, the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) reported that Tajik border guards engaged in a firefight with a “transnational drug trafficking group” at the Afghan border. One individual was killed, and authorities seized over 70 kilograms of drugs, as well as weapons and ammunition.
Items confiscated from the scene included: an AK-74 assault rifle; three magazines and 87 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition; and 71.9 kilograms of hashish.
Record drug seizures and crackdown on transnational crime in Tajikistan
In another major operation earlier this year, the law enforcement authorities in Tajikistan’s Khatlon province dismantled an organized transnational drug trafficking group. The suspects were caught attempting to smuggle around 180 kilograms of narcotics from Afghanistan, destined for further distribution beyond Tajik borders.
According to the Tajik drug control chief, Tajik law enforcement authorities have confiscated a total of 3,107 kilograms of illegal drugs over the first six months of 2025. This marks an increase of over 10 kilograms compared to the same period in 2024 (3,096 kilograms).
Breakdown of drug seizures by agency for 2025: Ministry of Internal Affairs — 1,176 kg (2024: 2,089 kg); SCNS — 1,459 kg (2024: 789 kg); DCA — 384.4 kg (2024: 217.8 kg); Customs Service — 83.2 kg (2024: 0 kg); and anticorruption agency — 3.1 kg (2024: 0.5 kg).
In addition, law enforcement agencies confiscated 155.5 kilograms of psychotropic substances—an 85% increase compared to the first half of 2024. Authorities also seized 21,741 tablets of narcotic medications, with 15,824 confiscated directly by the DCA, a substantial rise from the 13,731 tablets seized during the same period last year.
The DCA also reported a surge in criminal case filings. Over the first half of 2025, the agency uncovered 86 drug-related crimes, a 56% increase from 55 cases in 2024. Furthermore, 24 criminal groups consisting of 53 individuals were dismantled—up from 15 groups and 37 people in the previous year.
These figures reflect Tajikistan’s intensified efforts to confront cross-border narcotics trafficking amid worsening regional security and a persistent flood of drugs from neighboring Afghanistan
