Kabul, April 26 (IANS) Afghan law enforcement authorities have arrested 80 individuals on charges of drug trafficking following a series of coordinated operations carried out across multiple provinces, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.
According to the ministry, counter-narcotics police conducted targeted raids in several regions, resulting in the seizure of significant quantities of illegal substances, including hashish, narcotic tablets, and materials used in the production of heroin, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The statement added that the arrests are part of ongoing nationwide efforts to curb drug trafficking and dismantle distribution networks.
Authorities reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying operations aimed at combating the production, smuggling and sale of illicit drugs across the country.
On April 15, provincial director for Counter-Narcotics Qari Wahidullah Matawakil said the counter-narcotics police in the drive against illicit drugs have publicly burned more than 100 kg of different types of narcotics in Khost province, east of Afghanistan.
The contraband, which included hashish, heroin, opium poppy, and thousands of stimulant tablets locally known as (Tablet K), was publicly set alight, the official emphasized without giving more information.
No one has the right to produce or smuggle illegal drugs in the province, the official said, warning that police would take legal action against anyone who violates the law.
The Afghan government has intensified its crackdown on illegal drugs as police earlier smashed hundreds of acres of poppy farms and set ablaze several tons of narcotics across the country over the past couple of months.
On February 23, Afghan police in the drive against illegal drugs arrested two drug smugglers and recovered 41 kg of illicit drugs from their possessions in northern Afghanistan’s Takhar province, said a statement of the provincial police office.
The arrested suspects, according to the statement, were attempting to smuggle 29 kg of opium poppy and 12 kg of hashish out of the province.
The Afghan government has vowed to fight against producing illegal drugs and their trafficking until the once drug-producing nation becomes free of the drug threats.
–IANS
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