Afghan police seize illicit drugs in Badakhshan province

Kabul, July 27 (IANS) Afghan counter-narcotics police have discovered 57 kg of opium and arrested a suspected drug smuggler in Badakhshan province, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

The contraband was discovered during a series of operations conducted on the outskirts of the Argo district of the province, said the statement, adding that one individual was arrested in connection with the case.

On July 24, Afghan security forces seized 1,000 kg of illicit drugs and arrested two alleged drug smugglers in southern Afghanistan's Zabul province, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement.

The opium was concealed inside a truck and discovered during a counter-narcotic operation in Shahjoy district, the ministry said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Two individuals were arrested in connection with the drug trafficking, and their dossiers were referred to the judiciary for further investigation, the statement said.

The Afghan national army thwarted attempts to smuggle drugs and detained three alleged drug smugglers in the southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, said an army spokesman in the region, Jawed Agha, on Tuesday.

The contraband, which included 730 kg of opium poppy and was placed in the cavities of a vehicle, was identified and confiscated by the army personnel, the official added.

They also discovered two assault rifles and two satellite phones in the possession of the arrested and handed them to the bodies concerned for further investigation, the official said.

Police set on fire more than half a tonne of illegal drugs in the southern Afghanistan Kandahar province on July 20.

The contraband, which included 130 kg of opium poppy, 480 kg of methamphetamine, and 660 pieces of stimulant tablets, had been collected over the past two months and was burned publicly, the official added.

Police won't allow anyone to produce, process, or traffic illegal drugs, the official further said.

--IANS

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