DUSHANBE, December 18, 2013, Asia-Plus – A delegation of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China (MPS), led by the MPS counter-terrorism department chief An Weising (phonetically spelled), has visited the Drug Control Agency under the President of Tajikistan (DCA) in Dushanbe.

According to the DCA press center, Tajik drug control chief Rustam Nazarov informed Chinese guests of joint activities of Tajik law enforcement authorities to combat drug trafficking, counter-narcotics policy of the Tajik government and cooperation of the DCA with counternarcotics agencies of other countries, including China’s MPS.

He, in particular, noted that a joint operation by Tajik DCA and China’s MPS has led to shutting down a channel through which Afghan heroin was being smuggled via Tajik territory into China.

Nazarov noted that Tajikistan was taking serious measures to shut down channels for smuggling narcotics into its territory, and thereby, it restricted transit of narcotics to other countries.

The sides reportedly also discussed joint efforts to combat terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking as well as issues related to exchange of information and training of personnel.           

Tajik drug control chief appreciated MPS’s technical support for Tajik counternarcotics agency.  

The Drug Control Agency was established on June 1, 1999 in accordance with implementation of an agreement signed by the Government of Tajikistan and the UN Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC).  The Tajik Government and the UNODC signed the agreement to create Tajik Drug Control Agency on April 27, 1999.  With technical assistance from the UNODC, the agency has documented drug trafficking in Tajikistan and Central Asia as a whole.

The Ministry of Public Security of the People''s Republic of China (MPS) is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People''s Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement. Headed by the Minister of Public Security, MPS also controls and administers the People''s Armed Police.