DUSHANBE, May 20, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- An anti-drug operation, dubbed Poppy 2009, is going on in the country.  Launched on May 15, the operation runs through November 30 this year.

The operation involves officers from the ministries of interior and justice, state committee for national security counternarcotics agency and customs service as well as representatives of the ministries of health and culture, committee for TV and radio-broadcasting, committee for environmental protection and local authorities of Gorno Badakhshan, Khatlon and Sughd provinces, Dushanbe and districts subordinate to the center.

According to the Drug Control Agency (DCA) press service, checkpoints have been reinforced along the main drug trafficking routes: Khorog-Murgab; Khorog-Darvoz-Dushanbe; Dushanbe-Jirgatol; Kulob-Dushanbe; Panj-Dushanbe; Dushanbe-Khujand; Dushanbe-Tursunzoda; Dushanbe-Panjakent; and Khujand-Isfara.  Besides, additional measures have been taken to shut down channels for trafficking narcotics, the DCA press service said.