Uzbekistan thwarts drug smuggling attempt on Afghan border

Uzbek authorities have foiled a major drug smuggling attempt on the border with Afghanistan, seizing nearly 600 kilograms of drugs, the State Security Service of Uzbekistan said Sunday.

The illicit cargo was being transported in a truck through a border highway checkpoint in Surkhandarya region, with an excavator loaded on its trailer serving as camouflage. The driver was an Afghan citizen.

During a routine scan of the vehicle, customs officers detected suspicious objects inside the machinery. A subsequent thorough inspection revealed 593 kilograms of hashish and 3 kilograms of opium concealed inside the excavator, according to the agency.

The seizure marked another major drug trafficking case busted by Uzbek authorities recently. In April, border and customs officials intercepted a similar smuggling attempt, seizing over 190 kilograms of hashish concealed in large metal pots. The traffickers had intended to transit the narcotics from Afghanistan through Uzbekistan to third countries.