DUSHANBE, 23.06.2025 (NIAT Khovar) – A large-scale drug trafficking attempt was thwarted in the Mir Said Ali Hamadoni district of Khatlon Region following a special operation by officers of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) and servicemen of the Border Troops of the Republic of Tajikistan.

According to the SCNS Public Relations Center, the operation was conducted within the service area of Border Post No. 9 “Panjob” of the military unit of the SCNS Border Troops Directorate in Khatlon Region, located in Panjob rural community. During the operation, a case of illegal drug trafficking was detected and prevented.

As a result, a member of a transnational narcotics group, Sharofuddin Zarifov, born in 1969, a resident of Panjob village, was detained. Zarifov, who holds secondary specialized education, is married and was temporarily unemployed at the time of arrest.

A search of his personal vehicle, an Opel with registration number 2794 ВС 03 ТJ, led to the discovery of four blue bags containing a particularly large quantity of drugs in 90 packages, as well as one plastic container. The total confiscated narcotics included:

• 79.722 kg of hashish
• 9.860 kg of opium
• 975 grams of methamphetamine

Total weight: 90.557 kg

During investigative measures, it was revealed that Zarifov maintained regular contact using an Afghan mobile SIM card with an Afghan national named Khol, aged approximately 45–50, who is reportedly a member of a transnational drug trafficking group.

Based on prior coordination with Zarifov, Khol and seven armed members of his group crossed the state border into Tajikistan and handed over the narcotics to Zarifov in the Panjob border area. They then returned to Afghanistan.

Zarifov intended to hide the narcotics in a secret location, but was detained by security officers and border guards before he could do so.

A criminal case has been initiated by the Investigation Department of the SCNS Directorate in Khatlon Region under several articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan: Article 36 (Part 5), Article 200 (Part 4, Clause “g”), Article 289 (Part 3), and Article 335 (Part 2). The preliminary investigation is ongoing.

It is noted that terrorist and extremist groups, in addition to arms trafficking, exploit the rapidly changing regional and global security situation to incite drug trafficking and weaken the state borders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)—60% of which is secured by Tajikistan. Their aim is to undermine political stability, disrupt socio-economic development, and fund illicit activities.

Tajikistan remains at the forefront of combating such threats, a fact acknowledged by both national and international experts. Every year, the SCNS seizes large amounts of narcotics and prevents their spread into other countries in the region.

Citizens are encouraged to actively participate in preventing crime and safeguarding the territorial integrity of the country. Defending the homeland is a sacred duty of every citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan.