The production of drugs distributed under the guise of sweets was halted in Tashkent

Illicit drug manufacturing, distributed under the guise of sweets, stopped in Tashkent

A drug laboratory was uncovered in Tashkent, where illicit substances were not only produced and packaged, but also mixed with outwardly ordinary sweets. Among the seized items were hash oil cookies, packages of marmalade containing drugs, and nearly six kilograms of other narcotic substances.

The operation was conducted by officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service. Initially, a 24-year-old Tashkent resident was detained in the Yashnabad district; according to law enforcement, he worked as a courier for an online drug store. He was found in possession of 58 packages of hash oil with a total weight of 74 grams.

During the subsequent investigation, operatives tracked down his alleged accomplice—a warehouse employee of the same online store. A laboratory for the production and packaging of drugs was found in a rented apartment in the Domrabad neighborhood of the Chilanzar district.

Found at the scene were 1.5 kilograms of hash oil cookies, four packages of marmalade containing drugs, 3.5 kilograms of hash oil, and 600 grams of hashish. In addition, 361 packages containing hash oil and its mixture with hashish, with a total weight of 350 grams, were seized.

The apartment also contained equipment and materials for the production and packaging of drugs: syringes, scales, gloves, bags, electrical tape, and 500 empty vials.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the total weight of the seized narcotic substances is about six kilograms—more than 19.2 thousand doses.

A criminal case has been initiated under paragraph "a" of Part 6 of Article 273, which provides punishment for illegal drug trafficking. The investigation is ongoing.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs warns that narcotic substances may be disguised as familiar foods and sweets.

Earlier in the Tashkent region, officers from the "Tashkent-Aero" customs complex and the State Security Service foiled an attempt to import synthetic drugs under the guise of sweets.