Did Afghan police apprehend a drug smuggler and seize narcotics in Takhar province?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Afghan police arrested a suspected drug smuggler in Takhar province.
- Illicit narcotics, including crystal methamphetamine, were seized during the operation.
- The Afghan government is intensifying efforts to combat drug trafficking.
- Recent operations have led to significant drug seizures in various provinces.
- A nationwide ban on poppy cultivation was enforced in 2022.
Kabul, Nov 14 (NationPress) Afghan police successfully apprehended a suspected drug smuggler and seized illicit narcotics during a recent operation in the northern Takhar province, as reported by provincial police spokesman Nizamudin Omir on Friday.
The official stated that the suspect was caught while attempting to transport crystal methamphetamine and additional chemicals used for heroin production to Taluqan, the provincial capital, where he allegedly intended to sell these materials, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The suspect is now in custody, pending further investigation, the spokesperson confirmed.
In recent years, Afghanistan has ramped up its counter-narcotics initiatives, launching focused operations against trafficking networks, clandestine labs, and illegal markets.
On November 9, provincial police spokesman Gul Mohammad Qudrat announced that Afghan counter-narcotics forces confiscated 170 kg of opium poppy and arrested two suspected smugglers in the western Nimroz province.
This seizure occurred during a targeted operation in the Zanjer Sharqi area along the Zaranj-Delaram highway, the official indicated.
The Afghan government has committed to intensifying its nationwide efforts against illicit drugs, pledging to eliminate poppy cultivation and dismantle trafficking networks.
On November 4, the provincial police office reported that officers in eastern Afghanistan's Ghazni province confiscated 225 kg of opium from a vehicle.
The contraband was hidden in secret compartments and was discovered during a routine search in Muqar district on November 3.
The driver fled the scene, and law enforcement is actively searching for the drug owner.
In a similar anti-narcotics operation earlier, police discovered and dismantled a drug processing lab in eastern Paktia province.
On November 1, a local police officer noted that Afghan counter-narcotics forces eradicated 400 acres of illegal poppy farms in northern Badakhshan province.
These operations targeted illicit crops in the outskirts of Baharak, Jurm, Shuhada, and Darayem districts, as stated by Ehsanullah Kamgar, the provincial police spokesman.
Kamgar emphasized that security forces will actively prevent the cultivation of poppy or any other prohibited crops in the province.
In April 2022, the Afghan government enforced a nationwide ban on cultivating illegal crops, including poppy and hashish.