Uzbekistan’s border guards and customs officers intercepted drugs being smuggled from Afghanistan into Uzbekistan, as announced by the State Security Service press service.[1][2] The drugs were discovered at the Termez-Auto border customs checkpoint in Surkhandarya region during the inspection of a truck with a trailer driven by an Afghan citizen.[1][2] The vehicle was a Mercedes cargo truck driven by an Afghan citizen that had entered Uzbekistan through the Termez checkpoint and underwent routine inspection.[3] Authorities said the criminal group had planned to move the shipment across the border at dawn, hoping military personnel would be less alert during the early morning hours.[3] The trailer was carrying a Doosan excavator, and a specialized scan found suspicious objects hidden inside the excavator’s lifting arm that were not part of its original design.[3] An endoscopic inspection of the excavator’s internal cavities then uncovered the narcotics hidden inside the machinery.[1]

The shipment included 593 kg of hashish and 3 kg of opium.[1] A second account likewise reports that endoscopic examination found 593 kilograms of hashish and 3 kilograms of opium concealed inside the machinery.[3] A criminal case was opened under articles 246 and 273 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, covering smuggling and illegal drug handling with intent to distribute.[1][2]

The operation was carried out jointly by the SSS operational units and border troops together with the Customs Committee.[3] Authorities were working to identify and detain individuals who might have been involved in the attempted smuggling, and no arrests were named at the time of publication.[1]