DUSHANBE, January 24, 2011, Asia-Plus -- A large amount of narcotics was seized in an operation carried out by local police in Hamadoni district, Khatlon province overnight, according to the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

The source at a MoI says officers from the Hamadoni police department detained the 21-year-old Afghan national, Sher Mohammad waladi Yasin, in the Chubek jamoat on the night of January 23-24. “More than 67 kilograms of narcotics, including 54 kilograms of raw opium, 7.485 kilograms of cannabis as well as some 5 kilograms of other narcotics were confiscated from him,” he said.

Besides, more than 28 kilograms of hashish were seized in Sughd’s Jabborrasulov district on January 23.

Since the beginning of this year, Tajik law enforcement authorities have seized nearly 300 kilograms of narcotics.

We will recall that Tajik law enforcement authorities seized 3,900 kilograms of narcotics last year. The interior ministry accounted for 60 percent (2,216 kilograms) of the overall amount of narcotics seized in the country in 2010.