The central laboratory of the General Customs Authority has revealed that samples seized from a passenger traveling by the UB-Erlian train were of a kind of morphine. The head of the laboratory, N.Tsolmon, said the narcotic is banned under the international convention on drugs.

This particular seizure was at Zamin-uud but more such narcotics had been confiscated at Buyant-Ukhaa in the past few months, mostly from 22-25-year-old people trying to cross the border. This raises concern that young Mongolians are being recruited to join the criminal trade.

The latest consignment was the product of careful refining, something unlikely to be done inside the country. This gives an international angle to the incident. Mongolians are more likely to dry and grind the weed, and the powder will be coarse.

The laboratory received 43 samples on 14 occasions in 2009.