“There is an increase in the volume of drug trafficking from Afghanistan through the Northern Route, especially against the background of active integration processes with the countries of the region, through whose territories the main drug flows pass, there is an increase in attempts to smuggle drugs through the transport infrastructure of Uzbekistan,” said Narzullaev. “In 2021, compared to 2020, 18.4% more crimes related to drug trafficking were detected, amounting to 7,142 cases in total.”

The volume of seized drugs amounted to 1,864.4 kilograms, which is 20.9% more than in 2020, he added.