Bishkek, two students, a 17-year-old male and an 18-year-old female, have been taken into custody in Bishkek for their involvement in drug trafficking. The Interior Ministry’s press service reported that the students received orders via a Telegram channel from a so-called curator to create drug “stashes” in Bishkek and the Chui region.

According to 24.kg News Agency, State Service on Drug Control employees located the stashes and discovered over 20 bundles containing a white crumbly substance identified as a-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (a-PVP), with a total weight of 24 grams. Criminal cases have been initiated under Articles 282 and 180 of the Kyrgyz Republic’s Criminal Code, pertaining to illegal drug manufacture for sale and involvement of a child in a crime. The 17-year-old has been placed in pre-trial detention center No. 14 in Voznesenovka village, while the female student is in the pretrial detention center in Bishkek. Ongoing investigations are focused on identifying individuals recruiting youth for drug trafficking via Telegram.