In Dushanbe, the Ministry of Internal Affairs detained three drug couriers

Three people have been detained in Dushanbe on suspicion of illegal drug trafficking.

On May 13, the press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan for the city of Dushanbe reported the detention of an organized group engaged in illegal drug trafficking.

According to the investigation, employees of the Department for the Prevention of Offenses Among Minors and Youth of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the city of Dushanbe detained Olimov Saadi, Arzumuradov Azizjon, and Yuldashev Sukhrob while attempting to transport narcotic substances.

As a result, a total of 16 kilograms of narcotic substances, including “Hashish” and “Opium,” were discovered and seized from this organized criminal group, the statement said.

All suspects have been detained and placed under arrest. Criminal cases have been initiated against the young men under part 4 of article 200 (Illegal trafficking of narcotic substances or psychotropic substances in especially large amounts) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan. The investigation is ongoing.

The detainees, their lawyers, or relatives are currently unavailable for comments. However, in a video published by the press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan for the city of Dushanbe on the Telegram channel dushanbe_police_tj, the suspects can be seen explaining to police officers how they transported the drugs.

According to the investigation, the young men, whom law enforcement refers to as a “transnational criminal group,” equipped metal pots with hidden compartments for the covert transportation of drugs abroad, in which the narcotics were skillfully concealed.

It is not specified where and how the suspects obtained the drugs, nor is the destination of this “cargo” known.

One of the detainees in the video explains the method of transportation. He claims that the metal pots with hidden compartments were delivered from Afghanistan, and they were instructed to cut open the pots to find the opium.

According to the Drug Control Agency of Tajikistan, the majority of narcotic substances enter the country from Afghanistan. International organizations also note in their reports that Afghanistan is the main producer of drugs. They accuse the Afghan authorities of failing to stop the production and smuggling of drugs.

Meanwhile, Tajik authorities complain about the flow of drugs from Afghanistan.

However, Taliban representatives recently stated in official statistics that most drugs enter Afghanistan from neighboring countries.

In February of this year, Taliban Interior Ministry representative Abdulmatin Kone stated:

“Some countries are unnecessarily expressing concern about the smuggling of synthetic drugs from Afghanistan.” According to him, synthetic drugs are smuggled into Afghanistan from neighboring countries and some European states.

A representative of the Taliban called on neighboring and regional countries to cooperate in preventing drug smuggling into Afghanistan.

 “We ask the countries of the region, especially neighboring countries, to cooperate with us in the fight against smuggling, so that it no longer occurs. These countries cause us significant harm in terms of security and drug trafficking,” emphasized Kone in a conversation with journalists.