Tajikistan burns illegal drugs

DUSHANBE, March 18 (Reuters) - Tajikistan's security ministry burned nearly half a tonne of illegal drugs at a factory in the capital Dushanbe on Saturday.

Narzullo Valiyev, deputy head of the ministry's anti-drug department, told reporters the 444 kg (980 lbs) haul included hashish, raw opium and heroin.

The drugs were seized during various operations to crack down on smuggling in Tajikistan.

The mountainous Central Asian state of six million people is one of the main transport routes for opium passing from southern neighbour Afghanistan to Russia and Europe.

Around 11,000 Russian border guards are posted along the Afghan-Tajik frontier to bolster security and stem the flow of narcotics, which is adding to instability in the volatile former Soviet republic.