Tajikistan: Major drug network busted

Beset by an image problem both internally and externally, authorities in Tajikistan mounted a vast law-enforcement operation against one of the country's most powerful drug gangs. After an extended gun battle that raged in the southern city of Kulyab, eight individuals were taken into custody, including the gang’s alleged ringleader.

The drug-bust operation commenced in the early morning hours of 27 May, according to a representative of Tajikistan's Ministry of National Security.

According to the government, the gang that was targeted was a major drug trafficker in Tajikistan.

The gang's leader, 29-year-old Sukhrob Langariev, reportedly had had an international warrant out for his arrest since 2002. Yet, according to local sources, Langariev moved freely about Kulyab and other areas of Tajikistan, evidently unconcerned about the possibility of arrest.

Langariev and his confederates offered armed resistance to law-enforcement agents. In the ensuing, prolonged exchanges of gunfire, four people were reportedly killed - two police officers and two bystanders. An unspecified number of people were wounded and hospitalized. According to prosecutors, gang members used women and at least one child as a "human shield" in an attempt to ward off arrest, the Asia-Plus news agency reported.

Gang members eventually surrendered to authorities. Also taken into custody along with Langariev was a relative of his, identified as 24-year-old Azam Langariev, and 22-year-old Nurmakhmad Safarov, the son of a top militia commander who supported President Imomali Rahmon during Tajikistan's civil war in the 1990s, according to Asia-Plus.

In addition, at least two Afghan citizens were among those apprehended. Prosecutors expect formal criminal charges will be brought against Langariev and other gang members "in the coming days," the Asia-Plus report stated.

Sukhrob Langariev, the gang leader, is a younger brother of Langari Langariev, who served as a top field commander during the civil war in the pro-Rahmon Popular Front. The elder Langariev was killed in 1993, during the early phase of the conflict, which ended in 1998. Authorities reported that a vast cache of weapons and roughly 100 kilograms of heroin were found in Langariev's home during a search of the premises.

Since the raid, law-enforcement officials have stepped up patrols in Kulyab and its vicinity.

The anti-gang operation occurred amid rumors of civic unrest in Kulyab, Rahmon's home area and a traditional base of his authority. The rumors proved to be unfounded. However, some experts note that discontent in Kulyab and many other areas of the country is running high.

The restless mood is widely seen as connected to the aftermath of last winter's unusually severe weather. Severe shortages of heating and electricity have been followed by skyrocketing prices for food, placing a considerable stress on Tajiks.

More than half of the country’s inhabitants live at or below the poverty line, and about half-a-million Tajiks, or roughly 7 percent of the overall population, suffers from malnourishment. Although the weather is now warm, many rural areas continue to endure prolonged periods without power.

The raid also came at a time when Tajikistan is struggling to regain credibility with creditor states, following a financial scandal in which the National Bank was forced to admit improper conduct in its handling of International Monetary Fund loans.