The seizure was made on information from a man who was caught in possession of 10 single doses of the drug on December 16.

"During investigation, it turned out that he bought the drugs from a resident of the [region’s] Sariosiyo district," the source said.

The dealer was detained and confessed to hiding a large stash of drugs near a local highway. Police found two bags with 22.5 kg of heroin in the cache.

A criminal case was launched, and an investigation is underway.

Uzbek drug traffickers use secret mountain roads bordering Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to smuggle drugs into the country and then couriers deliver the drugs to Russia and onto Europe.

On Tuesday, Uzbekistan’s Interior Ministry reported another major drug haul in the southwestern Bukhara Province, during which 10 kilograms of heroin were seized.