Ashgabat, 5 March 1997 (RFE/RL) - Drug seizures continue to mount in Turkmenistan. Our Ashgabat correspondent reports a series of seizures. In Kushka in southern Turmenistan, customs officers found 16 kilograms of drugs; in a shipment of goods which passed through Turkmenistan enroute from Afghanistan to Australia, more than two tons of hashish was discovered; and shipments to Europe from Afghanistan and Pakistan were found to contain more than 13 kilograms of hashish. Central Asian states have been identified as major drug corridors, and the United Nations has allocated funds to help the region fight drug smuggling.
Food-Processing Plants Closed Due To Typhoid Scare
Several food-processing facilities have been closed down in Ashgabat after a series of surprise inspections by sanitation officials. Our correspondent reports officials are concerned about an epidemic of typhoid currently sweeping Central Asia.