Uzbekistan's State Security Service (SSS) and Interior Ministry officers have conducted a joint operation targeting illegal drug trafficking, resulting in the seizure of over 34 kilograms of narcotics in Tashkent, the SSS press service reported.

During the operation near the 'Kuylyuk' market in Tashkent, a suspicious Lacetti car was stopped and searched. The driver, a 58-year-old previously convicted resident of the Sariosiyo district in Surxondaryo region, was detained along with a 42-year-old passenger born in Denov and currently living in Tashkent.

Inside the vehicle, officers found 30 packages containing a total of 34 kilograms 610 grams of hard drugs hidden in a plastic container. The haul included 12 kilograms 960 grams of opium and 21 kilograms 650 grams of hashish. The drugs were officially seized as material evidence.

According to the SSS, such narcotics are typically smuggled into Uzbekistan from abroad. Criminal cases have been opened against the suspects under Article 246, Part 2 (participation in large-scale drug smuggling) and Article 273, Part 5 (preparation for illegal sale of large quantities of narcotics) of the Criminal Code.

Both suspects have been placed in custody. Investigative measures are ongoing to identify other possible accomplices involved in the drug trafficking network.

Source: www.gazeta.uz