DUSHANBE, April 12, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- A large amount of raw opium has been found hidden in a heavy truck KAMAZ stopped in the Darvoz district, Gorno Badakhshan, according to the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

“Police officers found 5 kilograms of raw opium hidden under the driver seat while checking the heavy truck KAMAZ at the checkpoint Zardoluyak in the Darvoz district on April 11,” the source at a MoI said.  “The driver – resident of the Vahdat district, some 20 kilometers east of Dushanbe, Emomanazar Hakimov – was detained on suspicion of having been involved in drug trafficking.”

The same day, two drug peddlers were detained at the Dushanbe airport.  An inspection of passengers on the flight Dushanbe-Moscow found 232 grams heroin hidden in the luggage of Ms. Saodat Haidarova and 322 grams of heroin hidden in a suitcase belonging to Ms. Khosamoh Saidova.  Police officers found another 330 grams of heroin when searching Haidarova’s apartment in Dushanbe, the source said.