Why are drug laboratories increasing in Uzbekistan?

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Cases of establishing drug laboratories in Uzbekistan have been on the rise. This was reported on December 5, to QALAMPIR.UZ by Jonibek Yusupov, an official of the Agency for Drug and Firearm Control under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

While five drug laboratories were detected last year, 12 have been uncovered in the first 10 months of this year.

“After border control efforts against drug trafficking were significantly intensified, it became much more difficult to smuggle narcotics across the border. As a result, attempts are now being made to set up drug laboratories inside the country,” Yusupov said.

According to him, the components used to produce synthetic narcotics in such laboratories are not considered illegal when imported separately. These substances used in drug production are known as precursors.

It is worth noting that under Presidential Decree No. PF–207, adopted on November 3, 2025, individuals convicted of drug-related crimes are no longer eligible for early release from imprisonment or substitution of their sentence with a more lenient one. The measure was introduced to strengthen the protection of public health and the nation’s gene pool from narcotics and drug-related offenses.