DUSHANBE, January 27, 2011, Asia-Plus -- In

2010, 418 citizens of Tajikistan were detained in the CIS nations on

suspicion of drug offenses, the Drug Control Agency (DCA) director

Rustam Nazarov remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 26.

According to him, 66 Tajik nationals were detained for drug crimes in

Russia, which is 20.4 percent more than in 2009.  “In all, 100,000

people were detained Russia on suspicion of drug offenses last year

and Tajiks constituted 0.5 percent of them,” Tajik drug control chief

noted.

“The number of Tajiks detained for drug crimes in Central Asia’s

countries is showing a downward tendency,” said Nazarov, “In

Kazakhstan their number decreased by 73.9 percent (17 Tajiks were

detained in Kazakhstan on suspicion of drug offenses last year), in

Uzbekistan by 44.7 percent (17 people), and in Kyrgyzstan by 90

percent (9 people).”

At the same time, 48 foreign citizens were detained in Tajikistan on

suspicion of drug crimes last year: 25 Afghans; five Pakistani

citizens; three Uzbeks; two Ukrainians; one from Russia; one from

China; one from Saudi Arabia and so forth.

Tajik law enforcement authorities seized 3,902 kilograms of narcotics

in 2010.  A totaled included 985 kilograms of heroin, 744 kilograms of

raw opium, and 2,173 kilograms of cannabis.

Of this amount, some 865 kilograms of narcotics, including 234

kilograms of heroin, 331 kilograms of raw opium and some 300 kilograms

of cannabis, were seized by Tajik counternarcotic agency.

Over the report period, 51 operations were carried out by Tajik drug

control officers in cooperation with special services of the Russia

Federation and Afghanistan.  The operations led to the seizure of

1,165 kilograms of narcotics.  Of those operations, 48 were carried

out in cooperation with Afghan law enforcement authorities.  More than

973 kilograms of narcotics and 4,500 of liquid opium were seized in

those operations.  Besides, the operations led to the arrest of 54

drug smugglers and destruction 14 drug labs.