Kazakhstan jailed 40 international drug criminals

Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Center on countering illegal drug-trafficking, psychotropic substances and their precursors took part in apprehension of at least 40 criminals in 2 years of its existence, Director of the Center Beksultan Sarsekov told Tengrinews.kz. “We are not talking about apprehension of a woman with 5 grams of heroin on a train, but about apprehension of drug dealers supplying drugs from Afghanistan to where these drugs are destined to,” Sarsekov said. According to him, the criminals use any imaginable means to carry drugs, for example hide them inside their body or a woodchip board. According to the speaker, in the second half of 2011 the Center held 3 operations in cooperation with the authorities of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Kazakhstan and European countries and seized over 200 kg of heroin. “It was seized not only in Kazakhstan, but also in Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and other European countries.” “Our goal is to counter transnational groups acting at the territory of many countries,” Sarsekov added. Earlier it was reported that 30 tons of drugs were transported from Shu valley. According to deputy chairman of drug business-countering commission, over 100 foreign citizens were apprehended for drug crimes.