DUSHANBE, April 12, Asia-Plus - The Drug Control Agency Director Rustam Nazarov told journalists in Dushanbe on April 12 that Russia’s Federation Drug Control Service (FSKN) will open its local office in Tajikistan in the first half-year of 2007.  

“This issue is still under consideration,” said the Tajik drug control chief, “It has just remained to resolve a few technical issues and select skilled personnel for the office.” 

In the meantime, director of the FSKN department for inter-agency and information activity, Lieutenant-General Aleksandr Mikhailov, noted at a meeting with Tajik journalists in Moscow in late March that only two representative from Russian drug police will work in Tajikistan.  

According to him, opium cultivation has risen in Afghanistan and international experts warn that this year’s opium harvest in Afghanistan can produce more than 800 tons of heroin.  “The major part of it may appear in the territory of the Russian Federation,” said the Russian drug police official, “Only 30 percent of Afghan drugs is seized on the border while the remainder goes to Russia and via it to Europe.”  

Mikhailov noted that more than 92 tons of drugs, with two tons of them being heroin, were intercepted in Russia last year.  He added 1,268 foreigners, the majority of whom are residents of Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and  Ukraine, were detained in 1996 on suspicion of having been involved in drug trafficking.  

Mikhailov noted that opening of the FSKN office in Tajikistan will promote further expansion of cooperation between the two countries in fighting drug trafficking.  “Addressing Afghan drug threat remains one of priorities for Russia and efficiency of fight against this threat depends on international cooperation, in particular cooperation with Tajik counternarcotics agency,” he said.  

Mikhailov stressed that drugs worth from $10 billion to $15 billion are currently being in circulation in the Russian Federation.