More than 4,000 wild cannabis plants destroyed in Tajikistan's Mastchoh district
Police in Tajikistan's Mastchoh district destroyed more than 4,000 wild cannabis plants on vacant land in Buston, the Interior Ministry said. The plants weighed 48 kg, and the operation was part of the republican Poppy-2026 campaign under the country's 2021–2030 anti-drug strategy.
🇹🇯 Buston, Mastchoh District, Sughd · Tajikistan
- Plants destroyed
- 4,000
- Cannabis
- 48 kg
Officers of the Interior Ministry’s district department in Mastchoh, working
with the district youth and sports department, carried out an operation on
vacant land in Buston.[1] They found and destroyed more than 4,000 wild
cannabis plants there.[1] The plants weighed 48 kg in total.[1]
The operation took place on abandoned land in Buston.[2] It was part of
Operation Kuknor-2026 (Poppy-2026), a republican (nationwide) campaign.[2]
Police said inspection and raid work continues across the district, with further
measures to find and destroy drug plants and prevent their illegal cultivation.[1] They urged residents to report illegal cultivation, storage or trafficking
of drugs immediately.[1] Experts cited by the ministry said public involvement
in preventing violations and close cooperation with law enforcement are
important in stopping the spread of drugs.[1]
Sources
- В Мастчинском районе уничтожено почти полцентнера кустов конопли. Sputnik Таджикистан, 9 June 2026. In Russian.
- "Кукнор-2026": Дар ноҳияи Мастчоҳ 4 ҳаз. бех растании бангдона нобуд карда шуд. Sputnik Тоҷикистон, 9 June 2026. In Tajik.
Open questions the AI reported
- Neither report gives a separate date for the operation; 9 June 2026 is the publication date of both.
- Neither report names a suspect, an arrest or a charge.
- The plant count is given only as 'more than 4,000', so it is a minimum.
- The Russian report calls Buston a city, while the Tajik report calls it a settlement (шаҳрак) in Mastchoh district; the exact vacant lot is not identified.
- Left out, as its quotation was not found in Sputnik Таджикистан: The operation is held under Tajikistan's National Anti-Drug Strategy for 2021–2030, which aims to prevent the cultivation of drug plants and limit the raw materials for drug production.