Smuggler detained, illegal drug discovered in Northern Afghanistan

Kabul, Aug 3 (IANS) A drug trafficker has been arrested and 75 kg of opium poppy seized in the northern Afghanistan Takhar province, provincial police spokesman Nizamudin Omir said on Sunday.

The alleged drug smuggler, according to the official, was attempting to sell the opium poppy, but police captured him red-handed and took him into custody for investigation, Xinhua News Agency reported.

In a similar drive against illegal drugs, police arrested three drug smugglers and discovered six kg of hashish in their possession in the eastern Khost province, police said.

Meanwhile, a total of 400 individuals who had been struggling with drug addiction have made a full recovery and rejoined their families in Herat province, western Afghanistan, according to a statement issued late on Saturday by the office of the Deputy Minister of Interior for Counter-Narcotics.

The recovered addicts, who were gathered from various districts of the province, underwent a three-month medical treatment and rehabilitation programme before reintegrating into their families, the statement said.

Earlier this week, another 516 former drug users in Herat and neighbouring Nimroz provinces also completed rehabilitation and reunited with their families.

As part of ongoing efforts to combat drug addiction, Afghan police have recently rounded up 125 drug users in the provinces of Farah, Balkh, Ghazni, Sari Pul, and Samangan. These individuals have been transferred to rehabilitation centres for medical care and support.

The Afghan interim government has banned the cultivation of poppy and the trafficking of narcotics as part of a broader initiative to eliminate drug abuse and its impact on society.

On July 27, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said that Afghan counter-narcotics police have discovered 57 kg of opium and arrested a suspected drug smuggler in Badakhshan province. 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.

--IANS

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