KHUJAND, October 20, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Sughd law enforcement authorities have reportedly sized more than 681 kilograms of narcotics since the beginning of this year.

Over the same period of last year, local law enforcement officers intercepted 722 kilograms of narcotics, including 311 kilograms of heroin.

In a report released at a news conference in Khujand, Fayzullo Abdulloyev, the chief of the Sughd counternarcotics directorate, revealed on October 19 that 218 drug-related crimes have been detected in the province over the first nine months of this year.  According to him, 231 people have bee convicted of drug trafficking over the report period.

“Over the same nine-month period, 37 residents of the Sughd province have been detained in the CIS states, primarily in Russia, for drug trafficking and a total of 114.55 kilograms of narcotics have been confiscated from them,” Abdulloyev said.