KHUJAND, January 17, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- A 20-year-old resident of the northern city of Chkalovsk, D.O., has attempted to travel to Russia with drugs in his stomach.

The Sughd police directorate says D.O ingested 169 wraps of narcotic drug that tested positive to heroin weighing 635 grams.  He was detained at the Khujand airport on Monday, January 16.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against D.O. under the provisions of Article 200 (3) o Tajikistan’s Penal Code – drug trafficking; an investigation is under way.

In 2011, the Sughd law enforcement authorities reportedly seized more than 575 kilograms of narcotics, including more than 133 kilograms of heroin.  Last year, security forces arrested 297 people in northern Tajikistan on drug charges, including 23 women.