A drug trafficker has been apprehended in the Tashkent province, the State Security Service said in a statement. The suspect, 34, had been a wanted fugitive since 2025 for crimes under Article 246 (Smuggling) and Article 273 (Illegal manufacture, acquisition, storage, and other actions with narcotic drugs, their analogues, or psychotropic substances with the intent to distribute, as well as their illegal sale) of the Criminal Code. He was captured during a joint sting operation conducted with Customs officials in the city of Bekabad, Tashkent province.
During a search of his rented apartment, carried out in the presence of independent witnesses, law enforcement discovered 151 grams of opium inside the kitchen refrigerator and 4 kilograms 971 grams of hashish hidden within a bathroom service shaft. Investigations revealed that the narcotics had been smuggled into the country from a neighboring state. The suspect has been remanded in custody.
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