A criminal group involved in drug smuggling and sales has been sentenced in the Andijan region of Uzbekistan. Depending on their roles and level of involvement, members received prison terms ranging from 8 to 11 years.

In August 2025, in the Pakhtaabad district, officers from the State Security Service, together with border guards, police, and customs, stopped a Matiz car. Inside, they found nearly two kilograms of hashish and electronic scales. The driver, a 42-year-old previously convicted man, was identified as the leader of the drug ring. A search of his home yielded an additional two kilograms of hashish.

During the operation, other group members aged 33 to 51 were also arrested. Hashish and marijuana were confiscated from them. The group acted under the leader's instructions: they received drugs from dealers in Kyrgyzstan, smuggled them across the border, and delivered them within Uzbekistan. The investigation established that the group had smuggled and sold about 10 kilograms of hashish.

The Izboskan District Court found all defendants guilty under Articles 246 (Smuggling) and 273 (Illegal manufacture, acquisition, storage, and other actions with narcotic drugs, their analogues or psychotropic substances for the purpose of sale, as well as their sale).

Authorities urged citizens to report drug-related crimes via the short number 1520, guaranteeing confidentiality.

Earlier, a major drug smuggling channel was shut down by the State Security Service in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Customs Committee. Over 24 kilograms of banned substances brought from a neighboring country were seized during a special operation.

Source: podrobno.uz