DUSHANBE, October 9, Asia-Plus  -- Officer from the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Captain Sharif Tourayev has got a long term of jail for drug trafficking and polygamy.  

The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that Sharif Tourayev be given a term of 20 years and eight months in jail and that he should serve it in a high-security penal colony.     

Judge Rashiddin Tourayev, who took in the trial, told Asia-Plus that the police officer faced charges under two articles of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code: Article 200 (drug trafficking) and Article 170 (polygamy).  

“Investigation has established that Tourayev promised Izatullo Safarov, resident of the Khatlon province, $10,000 for transporting a large bulk of drugs, consisting of 52.736 kilograms of heroin and 144.87 kilograms of raw opium, from Dushanbe to Khujand” said the judge, “Izatullo Safarov was detained with drugs in the Varzob district last February.”

The judge further said that Sharif Tourayev had been granted partial amnesty and his sentence had been reduced by fourth, and he will now spend little more than 15 years in the penal colony.