Record drug seizure carried out by UN-trained team in Tajikistan

Tajik officials trained by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have seized some 560 kilogrammes of hashish and heroin in the single biggest bust in the Central Asian nation’s history.

The drugs were seized during the search of a truck at the road checkpoint “Chorbok,” approximately 10 kilometres north of the capital, Dushanbe, by the Mobile Deployment Team of the Tajik Ministry of Interior.

The Team was established within the framework of the UNODC project “Strengthening control along the Tajik-Afghan Border,” aimed at identifying, investigating, interdicting and prosecuting those groups involved in illicit drug trafficking.

The 15 staff members of the Team were selected on a competitive basis and underwent specialized training with UNODC on undercover operations, risk analysis, search techniques, informant handling and intelligence analysis.

The Team, which became operational in January of this year, has carried out a large number of operations, including joint activities with other law enforcement agencies.

Some 16 people have been detained and more than 900 kilogrammes of drugs have been seized thanks to the Team’s efforts.