KULOB, September 27, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- the Kulob prosecutor’s office on September 26 issued an arrest warrant for serviceman of border unit 2133, deployed in Khatlon’s Shuroobod district, Warrant Officer T. Sharipov, Asia-Plus has learned from Alfattoh Roziqov, deputy Khatlon prosecutor in charge of the Kulob region.

“Sharipov was arrested within the framework of criminal proceedings instituted against Senior Lieutenant Sh. Amirov, Warrant Officer B. Kholmahmadov and private soldiers K. Elmurodov and U. Eraliyev,” the prosecutor said. 

As it had been reported earlier, the Kulob prosecutor’s office instituted criminal proceedings against four servicemen of border unit 2133 - Amirov, Kholmahmadov, Elmurodov and Eraliyev – on September 23.  They were detained by police in Shuroobod on the night of September 21-22 on suspicion of having been involved in drug trafficking.  More than 17 kilograms of marijuana and more than 8 kilograms of raw opium were confiscated from them.   

Roziqov further added that it cannot be ruled that arrest of Sahripov is not the last arrest within the framework of this criminal case.    

It is not the first case when border guards serving in Khatlon are found to be involved in drug trafficking, the prosecutor said.  “It is already the third case over the past two-three weeks, when servicemen of border units 2931 and 21 33 deployed in Shuroobod and Hamadoni districts are detained on suspicion of having been involved in drug trafficking,” he prosecutor said.