DUSHANBE, August 17 - On Thursday August 17, visiting Russia’s Minister of Interiors Rashid Nurgaliyev bestowed on his Tajik counterpart, Khumdin Sharipov, Russia’s reward “For Providing Assistance.”

Rashid Nurgaliyev told a news conference in Dushanbe following the joint board meeting of the interior ministries of the two countries that Khumdin Sharipov had been awarded that decoration for assistance in neutralization of a large drug syndicate in Russia.  

“We jointly with our Tajik colleagues have managed to liquidate a channel through which drugs were being smuggled from Tajikistan into Russia,” said Nurgaliyev, “14 persons, including leaders and active members of this syndicate were arrested and sentenced to various prison terms, ranging from 3? to 16 years.” 

According to him, this special operation has led to the seizure of more than 100 kilograms of drugs.