DUSHANBE, May 23, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Dushanbe police officers reportedly seized some 22 kilograms of narcotics in two separate operations last weekends.

The source at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) says resident of Khatlon’s Vose district, S.T., 48, was detained in Dushanbe on May 22 on suspicion of having been involved in drug pushing.  A package containing narcotic drug that tested positive to hashish weighing some 20 kilograms was confiscated from him.

On the same day, 44-year-old resident of GBAO’s Shugnan district was detained in the capital city on suspicion of drug trafficking.  Some 2 kilograms of heroin were confiscated from him, the source said.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against both detained drug pushers and an investigation is under way.

According to the statistical data from the Interior Ministry, the Tajik law enforcement authorities have seized 1,612 kilograms of narcotics, including 142 kilograms of heroin and 267 kilograms of raw opium, over the first four months of this year.  Police officers reportedly accounted for some 50 percent of the overall amount of narcotics seized in the country over the report period.