Khatlon customs officers have prevented the transfer of almost 2 tons of medicines to Afghanistan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Khatlon chief customs officer Zafar Mahmadiyev remarked this yesterday at a meeting with reporters in Bokhtar, the capital of Khatlon province.

According to him, the smugglers wanted to transfer the medicines to Afghanistan in late June last year.

“An inspection of cargo at the Panji Poyon border crossing point (BCP) found 1,850 kilograms of medicines hidden in a truck loaded with cement,” Mahmadiyev said, noting that Tajikistan itself needed those drugs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Khatlon Customs Directorate has instituted criminal proceedings and remitted the case for further examination to the Khatlon chief prosecutor’s office.   

Last year, Khatlon customs officers reportedly instituted 140 administrative proceedings and five criminal proceedings.  Within the framework of an administrative penalty, 308,934 somonis reportedly went to budget.