The key facts

  • Three were detained while distributing drugs from a Tracker vehicle; several others were caught collecting synthetic drugs in the Upper Chirchik district
  • Among the detainees are students and previously convicted individuals, born between 1999 and 2007
  • A case has been opened under part 6, subparagraph 'a' of Article 273 of the Criminal Code

Operations in three districts

On October 21, officers of the Interior Ministry's Operative-Investigation Department, its territorial units, and the State Security Service carried out joint operations in the Uchtepa and Bektemir districts of Tashkent, as well as in the Ahangaran district of Tashkent region, Kun.uz reports. Three people born in 2004 were detained while distributing narcotics from a Tracker vehicle. According to the outlet, they are suspected of working as part of a group: some served as stash keepers, others as distributors who left the substances in hiding spots.

What was seized and who else was detained

The detainees' homes and rented dacha plots were searched. In addition to narcotics, 1,000 zip bags and scales were seized as material evidence. Operations to identify other members of the group continued in the Upper Chirchik district: there, individuals who came to collect synthetic drugs hidden in an open field were detained, along with their accomplices. Among those detained are young people studying at various educational institutions and previously convicted individuals; those mentioned were born in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2007.

Roles in the scheme and the criminal charge

According to the operative inquiry, for several months the suspects carried out tasks assigned by the organizers of the online drug den: first working as distributors, then as stash keepers. A criminal case has been opened under part 6, subparagraph 'a' of Article 273 of the Criminal Code. The outlet does not report on the fate of the scheme's organizers or on how many people in total were detained in the Upper Chirchik district.