, June 5, 2009, Asia-Plus -- Police officers have detained Afghan drug trafficker in the border area of Khatlon’s Shuroobod district.

According to the Ministry of Interior (MoI), resident of Afghan Badakhshan province Bahriddin valadi Mahmadnazar was detained in the Sari Chashma area in Khatlon’s Shuroobod district on June 4.  Some 7 kilograms of raw opium and an assault rifle Kalashnikov were confiscated from him.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against the Afghan drug smuggler and an investigation is under way.

Over the first five months of this year, officers from a MoI have seized 1,249 kilograms of narcotics, which is 284 kilograms more than in the same period of last year.  The source in the MoI noted that the amount of cannabis confiscated is on the rise.  Over the report period, police have seized 867 kilograms of cannabis, which is more than 71 percent of the overall amount of narcotics seized by police in January-May 2009.  This amount is more than two times more compared to the same period of last year.  In the meantime, the amount of heroin confiscated has been down.  In January-May 2009, police have seized 170 kilograms of heroin, which is 146 kilograms fewer than in the same period of last year.