Rustam Nazarov said the office, which will probably employ two officers, will provide information and expertise exchange, and enable cooperation in efforts to counter drug trafficking. So far, U.S., French, German, and other foreign representatives are working at the Tajik Drugs Control Agency, Nazarov said.
Nazarov said that during 2005, more than 3.8 metric tons of drugs, including 1.8 metric tons of heroin, had been seized, 650 kilograms more than in the same period of 2004.
Another agency official said 177 Tajik nationals had been detained on suspicion of drug trafficking in Russia since the start of 2005.
Agency officers also confiscated 103,5 metric tons of substances used for narcotics production, largely sulfuric acid, Nazarov said.
Nazarov said 106 crimes related to drug trafficking had been uncovered since the start of the year (42.5% more than in the same period of last year), and 105 people, including 10 foreigners, had been detained (up 61.5% from last year).
The agency also issued a press release Monday saying that during the day it had destroyed 113 kilograms of drugs seized in 22 drug crimes, mainly heroin and crude opium.
Since the beginning of 2005, the agency has destroyed over 1.5 metric tons of drugs, mainly heroin.
