Nearly 50 kg of opium smuggled from Tajikistan seized in Uzbekistan (video)

Nearly 50 kilograms of opium smuggled from Tajikistan have been confiscated in Uzbekistan, according to the State Security Service.

The agency reported that during an operation conducted by officers from the Khorezm regional department of the State Security Service, a man born in 1990 and residing in the Sherabad district of the Surkhandarya region was apprehended. He was found transporting 49 kilograms and 599 grams of opium concealed in a hidden compartment within the trunk of a DAF truck. The drugs were being transported to the Turtkul district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the narcotics had been smuggled from the Republic of Tajikistan and were intended for distribution within the Khorezm region.

A criminal case has been initiated against the suspect under Part 2 of Article 28,246 (Smuggling) and Part 5 of Article 273 (Illegal preparation, acquisition, storage, or trafficking of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances) of the Criminal Code. The court has ordered his detention as a preventive measure.

Authorities have also launched efforts to identify and apprehend the suspect's criminal accomplices as part of the ongoing investigation.

It is worth recalling that in a separate case, an individual who brought 16 kilograms of narcotics into Uzbekistan from Tajikistan was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison.