CSTO Seizes 11.4 Tonnes of Drugs in Operation
A five-day anti-drug operation across Collective Security Treaty Organization member states detained 376 people and dismantled 101 trafficking groups.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Drug Crime
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Member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization conducted a five-day anti-drug operation from October 26 to 30, seizing about 11.4 tonnes of drugs and prohibited substances. Authorities detained 376 people and dismantled 101 trafficking groups during the operation.
Why it matters
The operation targeted trafficking routes across the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, a corridor linking Central Asia and the Caucasus. The scale of the seizures and arrests reflects coordinated regional efforts to disrupt drug supply networks that cross multiple national borders.
Authorities detained 376 people, including 59 who were wanted and 135 citizens of countries outside the organization. Prosecution outcomes and charges for the detainees were not specified in the preliminary results.
The players
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)
A military alliance of post-Soviet states that coordinates security cooperation among its members, including joint counter-narcotics operations.
The details
Nearly 9,000 personnel from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan took part, while more than 2,000 personnel from China and Iran participated as observers and in coordinated activities. Authorities also seized 8 tonnes of chemical precursors, around 200,000 drug-producing plants, more than 153,000 prohibited tablets, 213 firearms and 1,722 rounds of ammunition, and identified 674 websites used to spread drug-related information.
Timeline
October 26-30: Five-day anti-drug operation conducted across CSTO member countries
October 30: CSTO released preliminary operation results
Legal Context
The operation extends the CSTO's recurring coordinated anti-drug campaigns across Central Asia, which have targeted trafficking corridors linking the region to wider international markets. Its scale, with 11.4 tonnes seized across five countries, places it within a sustained multilateral approach to interdicting drug flows along the Trans-Caspian route.
Residents along Central Asian transit corridors may see heightened checkpoint activity and enforcement as the operation's results are followed up. The operation's focus on precursors and online drug promotion signals continued enforcement pressure on distribution channels.
The takeaway
Coordinated multinational enforcement can disrupt several links of a drug supply chain at once, from precursors and plants to online promotion. Readers following drug policy should watch whether preliminary seizure totals are later confirmed in official prosecutions.
Further reading
For background on how these cases move through the system, see our Drug Crime coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Khaama Press.
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