Uzbek Customs Seize 52kg of Drugs at Afghan Border

Uzbek customs said it had discovered and seized 52 kilograms and 595 grams of narcotics in a cargo truck that had entered the country from Afghanistan. The shipment was found at the Ayrtom border crossing in Surkhandarya province.

According to the Uzbekistan Customs Committee, the incident took place on the evening of Oct. 1 at around 10:30 p.m. The cargo truck was empty and was being driven by a 34-year-old resident of Termez district.

Customs officials said a drug-sniffing dog’s reaction prompted the truck to be stopped for a more thorough inspection. During the search, officers found 98 packages of narcotics hidden skillfully inside the vehicle.

Investigations showed the packages had been wrapped in four layers of plastic, foil and adhesive tape to evade scanning and X-ray machines. Of these, 79 packages contained hashish weighing 42 kilograms and 335 grams, and 19 packages contained opium weighing 10 kilograms and 260 grams.

In recent months, Uzbek security forces have also discovered and seized several drug shipments in Surkhandarya, along the border with Afghanistan, including one shipment weighing nearly 600 kilograms.