Law enforcement officers from two countries dismantled an international drug supply and trafficking channel running from Tajikistan through Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan.[1] Kyrgyz investigators found that a 33-year-old man had organized large-scale imports of hashish from Tajikistan into Kyrgyzstan for further sale.[1] The suspect was detained while allegedly attempting to sell the drugs.[1] In Uzbekistan, officers detained 31-year-old citizen Kh.T. as a suspected participant in the same trafficking channel.[1]

A search of the detained man and his car found three packages with a distinctive odor weighing about 3 kg.[1] A later search of his residence found 31 more similar packages weighing 31 kg 398 g, bringing the seizure in Kyrgyzstan to 34 kg 448 g.[1] In follow-up operations in Uzbekistan, interior-ministry officers seized 14 kg of hashish and 1 kg of opium.[1][2] The Kyrgyz account describes the Batken seizure as drugs intended for trafficking onward to Uzbekistan.[3] Xinhua reported that more than 34 kg of suspected drugs were seized in Batken region in southwestern Kyrgyzstan during the special operation.[4]

The hashish had been brought from Tajikistan into Kyrgyzstan for further distribution.[4] A forensic chemical examination was ordered to determine the exact composition of the Batken seizure.[4] Authorities said they were working to establish all the circumstances and identify other possible members of the network.[1]

Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry said the criminal case was being investigated under article 282 of the Criminal Code, which covers illegal production and distribution of narcotic substances.[2]