Tajik Border Forces Seize Large Hashish Shipment Smuggled from Afghanistan

Tajik security officials announced on Tuesday that border forces seized a large drug shipment that had entered from Afghanistan.

The State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan stated that early Monday, four smugglers illegally crossed from Afghanistan into the Darqad border region in southern Tajikistan, a known drug trafficking route along the Afghan-Tajik border. Border forces tracked their movements and launched an operation, resulting in the arrest of one Afghan citizen. Authorities recovered 46 packages of hashish from the 45-year-old man from Darqad district in Afghanistan's Takhar province. Two rubber tubes used to cross the border river were also found at the scene.

Three other smugglers escaped back to Afghanistan under cover of darkness, according to the committee. A criminal investigation has begun on charges of drug smuggling and illegal border crossing.

Tajik officials noted that in 2025, the country's anti-drug agency seized a total of five tons and 280 kilograms of drugs. Over the past three months, border forces have engaged in five clashes along the Afghan frontier, mostly involving drug smugglers.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has prioritized strengthening Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan. CSTO Secretary General Talibek Masdykov said a targeted intergovernmental program, approved at the Astana summit in November 2024, is underway. The organization is supporting the first phase, which involves coordinating lists of weapons, military equipment, and border protection tools for Tajik forces, as reported by Russia's TASS news agency.

On December 1, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin spoke by phone with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi about the border situation. The Taliban Foreign Ministry stated the call covered political relations, economic cooperation, border status, security coordination, and regional initiatives. Muttaqi said certain 'circles' are attempting to undermine Tajik-Taliban relations, condemned a recent armed attack on Chinese citizens in Tajikistan launched from Afghan soil, and stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation for regional stability.