NATO MULTIMEDIA ACCOUNT

Access NATO’s broadcast-quality video content free of charge

Register

Create an account

Create an account

Check your inbox and enter verification code

We have sent a verification code to your email address. . Enter the code to verify your account. This code will expire in 30 minutes.
Verification code

Didn't receive a code? Send new Code

You have successfully created your account

From now on you can download videos from our website

Subscribe to our newsletter

If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below.

Reset password

Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password.

Log in or Create an account
Reset password
Check your inbox and enter verification code
We have sent a verification code to your email address. Enter the code to verify your account. This code will expire in 30 minutes.
Verification code

Didn't receive a code? Send new Code

Create a new password

The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

Your password has been updated

Click the button to return to the page you were on and log in with your new password.

Uzbek law-enforcement officers, trained under a project sponsored by the NATO-Russia Council, recently intercepted a large amount of heroin being smuggled through Uzbekistan. The investigation uncovered one of the biggest drug-smuggling cases in the country.

"Almost 570 kilogrammes of heroin were seized in a joint operation by the National Security Service (NSS) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan," an NSS official said. "It is our assessment that the drugs originated from Tajikistan and were being transported across the southern regions of Uzbekistan. The amount we confiscated would have been used to produce over seven tonnes of 'street' drugs worth 10 million US dollars."

The narcotics were seized when a truck was spotted and checked by operational officers in the Kashqadarya region of south Uzbekistan. Over 368 kilogrammes of heroin were found in a metallic box hidden in the truck. Further checks discovered another 200 kilogrammes. According to the NSS, the truck was transporting cattle to disguise the illegal cargo. A criminal case against the detainees has been opened and an investigation is underway.

Several officers involved in the operation were trained in counter-drug investigation by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the NATO-Russia Council's pilot project for counter-narcotics training of Central Asian and Afghan personnel. Launched in December 2005, the pilot project aims to strengthen the capacity of law-enforcement officers from agencies involved in countering illicit drug trafficking. Experts from NATO countries and Russia train the participants. The UNODC acts as the pilot project's executive agent. By end 2007, some 330 officers from the region had been trained under the initiative.