DUSHANBE, July 3, 2009, Asia-Plus -- The first phase of the anti-drug operation, dubbed Poppy-2009, is nearing completion in Tajikistan.

Yesterday, law enforcement officers revealed and destroyed bushes of wild Indian hemp in Khatlon’s Vose and GBAO’s Darvoz districts – 19 and 113 bushes respectively, the source t the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said.

Besides, 57 bushes of cultivated hemp were discovered on the homestead land belonging to the resident of the Pakhtaobod settlement in the Tursunzoda district, Aloviddin Zaydulloyev.  The discovered narcotic-containing plants were destroyed.

The anti-drug operation that was launched on May 10 will run through November 30 this year.  The first phase of the operation will be finished on July 15.

The main objective of the operation is in discovering and destroying crops of narcotic-containing plants in the country.