Narcotics, disguised as pomegranate juice, were found while being transferred in Surkhandarya

A recent report from the Press Service of the State Customs Committee has revealed that smugglers attempted to bring synthetic drugs into Uzbekistan, disguised as pomegranate juice.  The illegal substance was discovered during a customs inspection of a cargo vehicle loaded with 18 tons of pomegranate juice in Surkhandarya.

The juice, packaged in 9,000 plastic bottles was intended for delivery to a limited liability company in the capital city.

The "Risk Management" system, which has been implemented by the customs authorities, directed the goods to the "red" corridor due to its suspicious nature.  Further inspection of the cargo vehicle revealed that some bottles of pomegranate juice were marked with the letter "M", and the color of the juice in these bottles was slightly different from the rest.  Moreover, the protective layers on the mouth of these containers were also found to have been tampered with.

The authorities then used a rapid drug detection test to examine the suspicious juice, and found that it contained a synthetic drug known as "Methamphetamine."  The total weight of the 48 bottles marked with the letter "M," including the containers, was 103 kilograms.  It is worth noting that under Uzbekistan's legislation, methamphetamine is considered a prohibited narcotic substance.

The customs authorities have since initiated a criminal case in connection with this incident.  The discovery of this illegal substance is an important reminder of the need for effective and thorough customs controls to prevent the circulation of drugs within the country.