Uzbekistan Seizes Nearly 9 Kilograms of Smuggled Opium from Afghanistan
Uzbekistan’s State Security Service announced the seizure of nearly 9 kilograms of opium allegedly smuggled from Afghanistan in two separate operations in the Khorezm and Surkhandarya regions.
According to Uzbek media reports, the drugs were discovered on Thursday in two distinct incidents. In the first incident, a resident of Kushkupir district was arrested in Urgench district; this individual had previously been convicted for drug-related crimes. Authorities confiscated 4.407 kilograms of opium from him.
In the second incident, police stopped a Lexus vehicle at a checkpoint in the Urgench area. During the inspection, 4.541 kilograms of opium were found on one of the passengers. Security officials stated that this individual also had a prior conviction related to drug offenses.
The Uzbekistan State Security Service stated that these shipments were smuggled from Afghanistan and were intended to be sold in the Khorezm region. Criminal cases have been opened concerning these incidents, and the arrested individuals are currently under investigation.
Uzbek officials also revealed that since the beginning of the new calendar year until April 14, nearly 800 kilograms of narcotics have been discovered and confiscated across the country. In the past month alone, border forces identified and stopped dozens of kilograms of hashish being smuggled via routes originating in Afghanistan.
The continued discovery of drug shipments along Afghanistan’s northern borders has heightened concerns about the persistence of trafficking networks. Within Afghanistan, there have also been ongoing criticisms regarding how the Taliban administration manages and controls drug cultivation and trafficking.
