DUSHANBE, February 10, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Officers from the State Committee for National Security (SCNS)’s office in Gorno Badakhshan have detained two alleged members of a transnational drug-trafficking group.

According to the SCNS press center, a special operation carried out by security officers on February 3 led to the arrest of two Sobir Ardabayev, also known as Shaikh Sobiri Vanji, and Nazriali Javarov, who has two previous convictions.

“More than 19 kilograms of hashish were confiscated from them,” said the source, “The preliminary investigation has established that Sobir Ardabayev acquired the narcotics from Afghan national.”

Another operation carried out by security officers in Kulob led to the arrest of three drug pushers.  Six kilograms of cannabis and two kilograms of raw opium were confiscate from them.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against the detained drug traffickers and an investigation is under way.

Since the beginning of this year, the SCNS officers have reportedly seized more than 182 kilograms of narcotic drugs.