A deputy commander of Tajikistan"s border...

Col. Saymuddin Mirzoyev, 39, was detained in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, after being caught red-handed accepting a $15,000 bribe, the official told journalists.

Mirzoyev is being questioned in connection with a drug trafficking probe, the official said. Investigators also found that he had earlier received another $30,000 bribe, he added.

The Central Asian state of Tajikistan is a major gateway to Russia, other post-Soviet states and Europe for drugs from Afghanistan, which is the world"s leader in heroin production.

MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti)