About 50 students caught with drugs in Uzbekistan

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Which universities are leading in student crime cases in Uzbekistan? (video)

In Uzbekistan, 46 university students were involved in drug-related crimes during the first six months of 2025. This was reported by UzA, citing senior inspector of the National Center for Drug Control under the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan, Muhammadkadir Mahmudov.

According to him, individuals engaged in drug trafficking are increasingly targeting students to use them as couriers.

“The lives and futures of young people who unknowingly fall under the influence of drugs are the same for everyone. Those who go down such a bottomless pit harm not only their loved ones, but also society,” Mahmudov said.

He noted that with the rapid development of technology and the Internet, drug dealers are also changing their methods, making the trade more complex. Drugs that were once passed directly from person to person are now distributed through unknown channels and hidden locations.

Mahmudov added that the appearance of drugs is also evolving. Previously, narcotics were found mainly in natural form, but now they are being discovered in various products, including beverages, energy drinks, coffee, sweets, and similar goods. He emphasized that even a single use of such substances can cause addiction and that they affect people regardless of age, gender, or social status.

Drugs produced in illegal, clandestine laboratories are considered even more dangerous. According to official data, five such laboratories were discovered in 2024, and eight in 2025. Even a single dose of these synthetic drugs can be fatal.

“Another dangerous aspect of the issue is that many parents are busy with work and other concerns, unaware that their children are under the influence of drugs. Modern synthetic drugs do not show their effects as quickly as traditional ones,” Mahmudov explained.

As drug use increases, the number of drug-related crimes is also growing. Law enforcement agencies reported that in 2025, the number of detected drug-related crimes rose by 23 percent compared to the previous year.

It is worth noting that earlier, a third-year student of a private higher education institution in Tashkent, who was an active member of a criminal group selling synthetic drugs online, was detained in the Tashkent district of the Tashkent region.