The news from Dushanbe reports the arrest of a group of drug dealers.

The Dushanbe Police Directorate says the suspects, Rajabmurod Nazarov, Fakhriddin Kholmirzoyev, and Asliddin Nabotov, are accused of illegally trafficking narcotics.  

The arrest reportedly occurred during an operation by the Department for Preventing Juvenile and Youth Offenses.  During a controlled buy and the subsequent intervention, authorities seized 8 kilograms of opiate-type drugs.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against them under the provisions of Article 200 (3) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code -- the illegal trafficking of narcotics in large quantities.

Earlier, another drug trafficking operation led to the arrest of members of an organized crime group involved in the illegal drug trade, which included the ringleader, 50-year-old Shamsullo Hukumatov. The group was responsible for smuggling large amounts of hashish and raw opium from Afghan drug dealers.

In this case, authorities confiscated 127 kilograms of narcotic drugs.  A totaled included 55 kilograms of hashish and 72 kilograms of raw opium.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against them under the provisions of Article 200 (4) of the country’s Penal Code, which carries a prison sentence of 12 to 20 years.

The ongoing investigation aims to further identify those involved in these criminal activities.