DUSHANBE, April 8, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The 30-year-old 30-летний Suhrob Langariyev and his seven confederates have been sentenced to life in jail.

The Supreme Court on April 7 ruled that Suhrob Langariyev and his seven confederates be sentenced to life in jail.  The source at the Supreme Court said the sentence had followed their conviction on charges of large-scale drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons, organization of criminal grouping, killing and some other crimes.

In all, 19 persons, including several Afghans, stood the trial.  The remaining 11 defendants got long jail terms -- from six to twenty-one years.

The trial of Suhrob Langariyev, a younger brother of Langari Langariyev, who served as a top field commander during the civil war in the pro-government Popular Front, began at the pretrial detention facility run by the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) in Dushanbe on April 2.

We will recall that Tajik authorities carried out vast law-enforcement operation against one of the country’s most powerful drug gangs in the city of Kulob on May 27, 2008.  After an extended gun battle, eight individuals were taken into custody.

According to GKNB, the drug-bust operation commenced in the early morning hours and lasted for several hours.  The gang that was targeted was a major drug trafficker in the country.

The gang’s leader, Suhrob Langariyev, reportedly had had an international warrant out for his arrest for armed robbery since 2002.  Yet, according to local sources, Langariyev moved freely about Kulob and other areas of Tajikistan, evidently unconcerned about the possibility of arrest.

Suhrob Langariyev and his confederates offered armed resistance to law-enforcement agents.  In the ensuing, prolonged exchanges of gunfire, four people were reportedly killed – two police officers and two bystanders.

Tajik law enforcement authorities reported that a vast cache of weapons and a large amount of heroin were found in Langariyev’s home during a search of the premises.  Eight individuals, including Suhrob Langariyev, his 25-year-old nephew, Azam Langariyev, and 22-year-old son of Sangak Safarov, Nourmahmad Safarov, as well as several Afghan nationals were detained during the operation.