Drugs - The Times Of Central Asia

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Boxing

Uzbek boxer Mullojonov Gets Three-Year Suspension for Doping Violation

Uzbek heavyweight boxer Lazizbek Mullojonov, who won Olympic gold in Paris last year, has been suspended from amateur bouts for three years because of doping, the International Testing Agency said. “The athlete tested positive for the prohibited substance methasterone metabolites after providing an out-of-competition sample on 11 June 2025,” the agency said in a statement on Friday on behalf of World Boxing, which governs international amateur boxing. Methasterone is a steroid that enhances muscle and strength. The agency said Mullojonov, 26, has agreed to the suspension, which was reduced by one year from the standard period of four years “due to his early admission” of the anti-doping violation. The agency is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The suspension is retroactive to July 22 of this year, when Mullojonov was provisionally suspended pending the outcome of an investigation, and runs until July 21, 2028. The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles take place from July 14-30. Under the ruling on Friday, Mullojonov’s competitive results between June 11 of this year, the date of a sample collection, and July 22 are disqualified. The Uzbekistan Boxing Federation had said Mullojonov may have ingested “prohibited doping substances” during a hair transplant last year. It said the surgery occurred on November 19, 2024, at a private clinic in Fergana city in Uzbekistan after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The athlete may have taken medications containing banned substances that were provided by the clinic during the treatment. Mullojonov also won gold in the super-heavyweight category at the Asian Championships in 2022. Despite the suspension from amateur competition, Mullojonov can compete in some professional fights, including one in which he defeated Nigerian boxer Monyasahu Muritador in Tashkent on Friday.

Narcotics

Kazakhstan Drug Seizure Tops Six Tons in First Half of 2025

Kazakh authorities seized 6.4 tons of narcotic substances in the first half of 2025, Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov announced at a recent meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission on Crime Prevention. For comparison, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported a total of 21 tons of drugs confiscated in 2024. That figure included 547 kilograms of synthetic substances, 2.5 kilograms of heroin, over 10 tons of marijuana, and 572 kilograms of hashish. Authorities also recorded more than 8,000 drug-related offenses, dismantled 63 drug laboratories, and identified 7,400 internet resources involved in the distribution of drug-related content. Between January and June 2025, the volume of synthetic drugs seized nearly doubled compared to the same period last year, reaching 570 kilograms. In addition, law enforcement blocked over 17,000 drug-related websites and detained 474 individuals on drug charges, including 28 administrators of Telegram channels. Authorities shut down 103 underground drug labs and uncovered 63 drug smuggling cases. Twenty-one criminal cases have been opened against organized drug trafficking groups, including three transnational networks. Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova reported that more than 17,000 individuals suffering from drug addiction are registered with medical facilities across Kazakhstan. While the number of opioid users has declined by 50 percent over the past five years, there has been a marked rise in addictions linked to synthetic stimulants and poly-drug use. In response to these developments, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has ordered the implementation of stricter mechanisms to identify and block online drug content and to restrict financial transactions associated with drug trafficking. “The increase in drug use among young people is particularly concerning,” Bektenov stated. “Distribution occurs via the internet, postal services, hidden ‘stash’ drops, and anonymous electronic payments, removing direct contact between dealers and consumers.” The Prime Minister also called for tighter control over the dispensation of addictive pharmaceuticals, the expansion of rehabilitation centers including those for minors, and stronger efforts for early detection and treatment of drug dependence. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Central Asia remains a significant transit corridor for narcotics smuggled from Afghanistan. However, the situation is becoming increasingly complex, as more drugs are now being consumed within the region itself.

Society

Central Asia’s Growing Domestic Drug Problem

It’s in the headlines every few days now in Central Asian countries. February 1 – Uzbekistan’s law enforcement agencies report raiding a laboratory producing synthetic drugs, and seizing narcotics worth more than $800,000. February 3 – Uzbek law enforcement announces that their latest counter-narcotics operation has resulted in the seizure of 111 kilograms of illegal drugs. February 10 – police in Kyrgyzstan’s northern Chuy region seize 1.5 kilograms of hashish and 1 kilogram of marijuana. February 11 – Kazakhstan’s Committee for National Security (KNB) announces it had uncovered a laboratory in Almaty region that was producing synthetic drugs. More than 15 kilograms of these synthetic drugs were seized and 200 liters of precursor materials. In the first decade after the five countries of Central Asia became independent in 1991, many of the reports from foreign media were about Central Asia being a major transit route for narcotics coming out of Afghanistan that were for buyers in Russia and Europe. Thirty years later, drugs are still coming into Central Asia from Afghanistan, but it is no longer just opium and heroin. And now it seems a good portion of these illicit narcotics are being consumed in Central Asia. Made in Central Asia Drug-producing laboratories are multiplying, and while there are no precise figures for the number of addicts, it is clear an increasing number of young people in Central Asia are using drugs. Ashita Mittal, the regional representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Central Asia, said in January 2025 that during the “last several years in just Kazakhstan, law enforcement agencies have uncovered and destroyed 87 laboratories producing synthetic drugs, and in Kyrgyzstan about 11-12.” Law enforcement agencies in Kazakhstan said earlier in January that they had destroyed 63 laboratories producing illegal narcotics just in 2024. Tajikistan’s Agency for Narcotics Control said at the end of its Kuknor-2024 counter-narcotics campaign in December 2024 that it had confiscated more than 1 ton of synthetic drugs. The synthetic drugs most often mentioned in these seizures are mephedrone, a type of amphetamine and stimulant that causes euphoria, and a-PvP, another stimulant. However, there are many types of synthetic drugs now available in Central Asia. Batum Estebesova, director of Kyrgyzstan’s Sotsium drug rehabilitation center, said the variety of synthetic drugs is increasing quickly. “We can’t keep up with all the new drugs to add them to the list of prohibited substances,” Estebesova said. UN Office on Drugs and Crime representative Mittal said part of the problem comes from Afghanistan. Mittal noted in 2023, there was a 95 percent reduction in heroin production in Afghanistan, but at the same time there was an “exponential growth” in the production of methamphetamines crossing into the bordering Central Asian countries – Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In May 2023, Uzbek border guards noticed some strange marking on several boxes of pomegranate juice coming from Afghanistan. Testing showed bottles of juice in those boxes contained methamphetamine. Apparently, the buyers intended to evaporate the liquid and then collect...

Legislation

Kyrgyzstan MP Proposes Legalization of Marijuana

At a recent session of the Jogorku Kenesh, Kyrgyzstan's parliament, Kyrgyz MP Dastan Bekeshev proposed revising the country’s approach to drug policy. Bekeshev suggested distinguishing between the lesser and greater evils of drug use, advocating for the legalization of light natural substances, such as marijuana, while emphasizing the dangers of synthetic drugs. Bekeshev argued that banning and destroying natural drugs only drives up their prices, pushing young people toward cheaper but far more harmful synthetic alternatives. He stressed that this approach exacerbates the drug problem rather than solving it. The idea of legalizing light drugs is not new for Bekeshev. In 2019, he proposed creating a designated zone at the former Manas airbase where the sale and use of light drugs would be permitted. Similarly, in 2017, former National Bank head Tolkunbek Abdygulov suggested that legalizing marijuana could help boost tourism in Kyrgyzstan. These proposals have sparked heated debates among Kyrgyz society and lawmakers, with opinions divided over balancing drug control with reducing the negative consequences of drug use. Regional Context The debate on legalizing light drugs is not unique to Kyrgyzstan. Across the Eurasia region, similar proposals have surfaced but have yet to gain official approval. In 2013, Russia called on CIS countries to adopt a joint statement opposing the legalization of light drugs, citing the potential risks of their spread. In 2023, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev reiterated Moscow’s firm stance against legalization, blaming Western propaganda for negatively influencing youth. Belarus has also explored the idea of legalizing psychedelics and other light drugs. However, no official measures have been enacted, reflecting the prevailing opposition to drug legalization within the CIS. Bekeshev’s proposal continues to fuel conversations about whether Kyrgyzstan could break with the regional norm and take a different approach to drug policy. As the debate unfolds, questions remain about the potential economic and social impacts of such a move.

Rule of law

Kazakhstan Proposes Life Imprisonment for Drug Traffickers

Kazakhstan plans to toughen punishment for drug traffickers by introducing the possibility of life imprisonment for convicted dealers. Legislative amendments have already been presented in the Mazhilis (lower house of parliament). Kazakhstan has become the center of synthetic drug production in Central Asia, member of parliament Dmitry Koloda said. Drug traffickers, he says, have become more creative in recent years and have established several new transportation networks. However, existing laws don't provide for criminal liability for the trafficking of components inside the country. "Law enforcement's hands are tied. In fact, they are forced to wait for drug traffickers to proceed directly to the 'cooking' of drugs. Otherwise, the case will have no judicial perspective," said Koloda. The bill also proposes strengthening criminal liability for trafficking in potent substances, such as tropicamide and pregabalin. Those narcotics are popular with drug addicts, including teenage users. Kazakh parliamentarians have introduced amendments that seek to equate illegal drug production with the most dangerous types of drug offenses. The punishment for that level of serious crime is up to life imprisonment. Currently, drug couriers and drug producers are prosecuted under the same article, with sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years, plus confiscation of property. The bill will differentiate and define criminal liability more specifically. Over the past year alone Kazakhstani police have disrupted and dismantled three transnational criminal groups specializing in the production of synthetic drugs. More than a ton of narcotic drugs were seized during those operations.

Kazakhstan Judiciary Legislation Drugs

Cocaine Smuggled Into Kazakhstan From Italy and Poland Hidden in Coffee Capsules

One channel of illicit cocaine smuggling into Kazakhstan has been blocked, according to website polisia.kz. In Almaty, authorities found that a rented apartment was being used for the distribution of illegal drugs, which were imported into the country from Italy and Poland. Police seized plastic capsules disguised as coffee - inside of each was a unit of cocaine weighing 250 grams. Furthermore, Almaty police seized a parcel at a Kazpost office that belonged to the suspect. It held plastic jars that contained drugs, the total weight of which was about 0.5-1.0 kilogram (kg) of cocaine and more than 400 grams of ecstasy. In total, that's more than 3,000 single doses. It turned out that the detained foreigner had been acting as a courier for three months. "A pre-trial investigation is being conducted against the detainee for the illegal acquisition and possession of a particularly large amount of narcotic drugs for the purpose of their sale. Further measures are being carried out to establish the channels of cocaine supply in the country," said the deputy head of the department for combating drug crimes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Bakhytzhan Amirkhanov. Possession and sale of drugs in Kazakhstan is punishable by harsh prison terms ranging between 10 to 15 years and the confiscation of property. According to the latest data, 47 anti-drug operations were carried out last year, including in cooperation with the corresponding authorities of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Australia. Eight international and 14 regional drug-trafficking operations were eliminated. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the annual illicit trafficking of narcotic substances in Kazakhstan amounts to 20-25 tons, 95% of which are from cannabinoid group drugs. Most often they are smuggled into the country from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran via the Caspian Sea. Additionally, the transit of synthetic drugs from Europe is also an issue accounting for about 5% of the total, with less than 1% in the form of opium, heroin, and other types of hard drugs. Also, a number of drug laboratories have been discovered in Kazakhstan itself, with Astana, Almaty and Shymkent considered to be the leaders in terms of production sites and sales of new types of drugs. In total, 67 participants in criminal drug organizations were detained in 2023, and 483.2 kg of psychotropic substances, 11 kg of heroin, 32.8 kg of opium, 63.7 kg of hashish, 41.6 kg of marijuana, more than 17 tons of poppy raw materials and more than 22 tons of chemical reagents seized. At the same time, more than 3,000 people were convicted for crimes related to the trafficking of synthetic drugs. Statistics show that over the last 10 years, the number of drug addicts globally has increased by 23% and reached 296 million people. Currently in Kazakhstan, the illegal drug market has almost completely moved on to cyberspace, making it much more difficult to track down drug dealers.