612 kg of narcotics hidden in brooms seized in Surkhandarya

On February 9, 2025, during border control procedures at the "Termiz Highways" International Checkpoint, officers inspected a cargo vehicle entering the country for transit. The truck was carrying 13.5 tons of brooms, which aroused suspicion.

As a result, the vehicle was transferred to a customs warehouse under the jurisdiction of the "Termiz" External Economic Activity Customs Post for a thorough inspection.

Upon examination, authorities discovered that the truck contained 180 sacks filled with 22,500 household brooms made from sorghum stalks. A closer look revealed that 2,986 of these brooms had hidden polyethylene packages, approximately 25 cm long, wrapped in yellow tape matching the color of the broom handles.

When opened in accordance with procedures and in the presence of witnesses, some of these packages were found to contain around 200 grams of a strong-smelling, dark brown substance suspected to be a narcotic.

Express analysis confirmed that the substance was hashish, with a total weight — including packaging — of 612 kg.

A preliminary investigation is currently underway.