DUSHANBE, December 7, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has reported the seizure of a large amount of drugs in Khatlon’s Shurobod district.

“Operation carried out by officers from the MoI directorate for combating drug trafficking (drug police) in the Shuroobod district on December 5 led to the arrest of the 56-year-old local resident S.H.,” said the source at a MoI, “A package containing some 18 kilograms of drugs, including 4.25 kilograms of raw opium and 13.6 kilograms of marijuana, was confiscated from him.”

Criminal proceedings have been instituted and an investigation is under way.

Over the first ten months of this year, Tajik law enforcement authorities have sized 4,198 kilograms of narcotics.  A totaled included 1,046 kilograms of heroin, 847 kilograms of raw opium and 2,304 kilograms of cannabis.