DUSHANBE, August 18, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Border troops have killed an Afghan drug trafficker and seized a large amount of drugs in Khatlon’s Shuroobod district., according to the main border directorate within the State Committee for National Security (GKNB).

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Khoushnoud Rahmatulloyev, a spokesman for the main border directorate, said that border guards on a routine patrol spotted and tried to detain a group of Afghan drug traffickers who were illegally crossing the border river in the Shuroobod district Sunday (August 17) evening. 

The border guards opened fire upon the trespassers when they tried to flee.  As a result of the skirmish, one of the trespassers was killed while others managed to return to the contiguous territory.  No casualties were reported among the Tajik border guards.  Three sacks of marijuana and 12 packages of raw opium were found at the scene of action. 

“According to our information, the leader of this drug-trafficking ring is the Afghan national Naim valadi Nazar,” the spokesman said.