DUSHANBE, September 1, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik border guards seized 55 kilograms of raw opium on the Panj stretch of the Tajik-Afghan border yesterday.

Border guards on a routine patrol spotted a group of Afghan illegally crossing the border river in Panj district, Khatlon province late Tuesday.

When the border guards tried to detain the trespassers, the last opened fire at them; the border guards responded to the shooting and the trespassers were forced to return to Afghan territory, the source said.

Fifty-five kilograms of raw opium and two tractor tires were found on the spot.  Criminal proceedings have been instituted and an investigation is under way.