DUSHANBE, December 3 (RIA Novosti) - Tajik drug officers arrested a man in possession of 560 kg (1,229 lbs) of hashish and heroin in the country's largest drug haul of the year, a press spokesman said on Wednesday.

The bust was made when police pulled over a truck on the main Dushanbe-Khudzhand highway. During a search of the vehicle officers discovered over 530 kg (1,168 lbs) of hashish and 28 kg (61 lbs) of heroin.

Police arrested the truck driver, Takhir Azizkhonov, 40, who said he "knew nothing about the cache and was merely driving the new vehicle to sell it."

However, police said Azizkhonov has previous convictions in neighboring Kyrgyzstan for drug offenses.

A criminal case has been launched and an investigation is underway. Officers believe that the drugs were intended for sale in Russia.

Since the start of the year officers from Tajikistan's Interior Ministry have seized over 2 tons of drugs.