DUSHANBE, January 5, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The first large consignment of narcotics has been intercepted by officers from the Drug Control Agency (DCA) this year.

According to the DCA press service, their officers detained resident of Khatlon’s Hamadoni district, A.M., in Dushanbe yesterday.  When searching apartment that he was renting in Dushanbe the DCA officers found 278 wraps of narcotic drug that tested positive to heroin weighing 2.53 kilograms and hashish weighing 1.4 grams.

Operation by officers from the counternarcotic agency led to the arrest of the drug peddler’s accomplice, who proved to be Afghan national Hoji Ghulom valadi Jourakhon.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against the drug peddlers under the provisions of Article 200 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – illicit drug trafficking, and an investigation is under way.