DUSHANBE, October 20, Asia-Plus -- Tajik border troops have intercepted more than 200 kilograms of drugs at the Afghan border in Khatlon over the past few days, the Tajik border service said. 

A source at the border service said that troops on routine patrol spotted a group of armed Afghan drug traffickers who were illegally crossing the border river in the Farkhor district late Tuesday.  When the border guards tried to detain the trespassers, they opened fire. As a result of 20-minute skirmish, the trespassers were forced to return to the contiguous territory.  102.5 kilograms of drugs, including 57 kilograms of heroin and 45.5 kilograms of raw opium, as well a Kalashnikov submachine gun and a Makarov were found at the scene. 

Wednesday night, Tajik border troops discovered a drug cache containing 50 kilograms of heroin on the Farkhor stretch of the Tajik-Afghan border, according to the source. 

On the night of October 15-16, border troops spotted and tried to detain an armed group numbering 15 who were crossing the border river in the area of Tugul in the Panj district, Khatlon. The border guards fired at the trespassers when they tried to flee.  Two trespassers were killed.  Two sacks with 50 kilograms of raw opium and two Makarov pistols were found on the spot.