Law enforcement agencies in Uzbekistan's Samarkand Region and Namangan Region have disrupted several attempts to traffic illegal drugs, uncovering online distribution channels used to facilitate sales.

During coordinated operations, officers detained a previously convicted man, 43, who was attempting to sell 1 kilogram of heroin to an accomplice for $38,000. Experts estimate the seized batch could have produced more than 100,000 single-use doses, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

In a separate case, a resident of Fergana Region sold narcotics to an undercover operative for $18,500. Investigators later established that the suspect had left a package containing the substance in Andijan District, sharing the drop location with the buyer via Telegram.

A follow-up search led to the seizure of cash and a substance confirmed by the Namangan Regional Forensic Center as heroin (monoacetylmorphine and diacetylmorphine), weighing 1 kilogram and 23 grams-equivalent to roughly 5,000 doses.

Criminal cases have been opened under Article 273, Part 5 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, which covers the illegal manufacture, acquisition, storage, and sale of narcotic drugs with intent to distribute. All suspects have been placed in pre-trial detention.