On April 20, the 12th Meeting of the heads of the counter-illicit drug trafficking agencies of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization began its work in the capital of Uzbekistan, the Dunyo News Agency reported.
Director of the SCO Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Ruslan Mirzaev, Director of the National Information and Analytical Centre for Drug Control under the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan Olim Narzullaev and the representatives of the competent authorities of the SCO Member States: Askar Mukhametkaliev (Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan), Liang Yun ( Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China), Nurlan Turusbekov (Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan), Rashid Minhas (Ministry of Narcotics Control of Pakistan), Kirill Smurov (Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia), Rahmonali Rakhimzoda (Drug Control Agency under the President of Tajikistan), Satya Pradhan (Narcotics Control Bureau of India) and SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming attended the meeting.
Director of the National Information and Analytical Centre for Drug Control Olim Narzullaev said there has been a spike in attempts to smuggle drugs through Uzbekistan from Afghanistan using Uzbekistan’s transport infrastructure. According to him, the number of drug-related crimes increased by 18.4%, and drugs seizures increased by 20.9% in 2021 compared to 2020.
“Heroin seizures rose 3.6 times – 102.96 kilogrammes, Afghan opium seizures rose 2.7 times – 342.7 kilogrammes, synthetic drugs seizures rose 5.8 times – 8973.3 grams and amphetamine, mephedrone and LSD seizures rose 18 times – 8115.2 grams in 2021 compared to 2020,” Narzullaev reported the figures.
