Some 17 kg (37.5 pounds) of the drug were confiscated from two Afghani nationals in the republic's Khatlon region, near the border with Afghanistan, and 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) were seized from a local in Vahdat, a village near Dushanbe.
Heroin production in Afghanistan has increased 20-fold since the Taliban was toppled by allied forces in December 2001.
Tajikistan is a transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and European markets, and small amounts of opium poppy are raised locally for the domestic market. The country is ranked third in the world for heroin and raw opium seizures.
Since January 2007, a total of 3.6 metric tons (7,900 pounds) of drugs have been confiscated in the republic, including 1.1 metric tons (2,500 pounds) of heroin.
