Kazakhstan has uncovered more than 2,000 drug-related offenses during a three-month nationwide operation targeting the illegal cultivation and trafficking of narcotics, the Interior Ministry said.

Axar.az reports, citing Polisia.kz, that the operation, dubbed “Qarasora-2026,” focused on the Shu Valley and other southern regions, where conditions are favorable for cultivating drug-producing plants. Authorities used aircraft, aviation resources, and satellite monitoring to identify and suppress illegal activities.

Police dismantled four organized crime groups and prevented 21 tons of drugs from entering circulation. They also registered 256 cases involving the cultivation of drug-producing plants and destroyed dozens of drug plantations.

In residential areas, authorities shut down 25 laboratories equipped for the artificial cultivation of drug-producing plants. The preventive operation is continuing.