Authorities intercept massive opium smuggling attempt at border with Tajikistan

Authorities have thwarted an attempt to smuggle more than 20 kilograms of opium across the Tajikistan-Uzbekistan border, resulting in the arrest and conviction of three individuals.

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The investigation revealed that D.A., a resident of Urgut District in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand Region, traveled to the Penjikent district of Tajikistan’s Sughd region. There, he gave a drug dealer $20,000 as a partial payment for 20.747 kilograms of opium, a transaction initially agreed upon for $100,000.

D.A. was tasked with transporting the illicit substance to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border. After completing the handover, he returned to Uzbekistan. The following day, he and his accomplice, Tajik citizen S.M., went back to Penjikent, where they retrieved the drugs from couriers. However, their attempt to cross the border with the narcotics was intercepted by law enforcement officers.

Further investigation uncovered the involvement of a third accomplice, J.R., another resident of Urgut district, in the smuggling operation.

The Criminal Court of the Urgut district found D.A. and S.M. guilty of offenses under the Criminal Code and sentenced them to 16 years and 6 months of imprisonment each. J.R. received a sentence of 16 years.

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