Kabul, Jan 28 (NationPress) Authorities in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province have seized 18 kg of illegal hashish and apprehended an alleged drug trafficker, according to a statement released by the provincial police office on Wednesday.

The report indicates that the suspect was attempting to distribute the contraband in the Garbaz area when police intervened and arrested him on Tuesday, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

Following the preliminary investigation, authorities plan to refer the drug smuggler to the judiciary, as detailed in the statement.

Furthermore, on Tuesday, local authorities revealed that Afghan police intercepted narcotics and detained four individuals for drug trafficking in the northern Baghlan province.

Mullah Mohammad Nabi Kamran, the provincial director for counter-narcotics police, confirmed the arrests in several locations across Pul-e-Khumri, the provincial capital. During this operation, security forces confiscated various narcotic substances, including hashish and other heroin-related items.

The suspects are currently under investigation, and further legal proceedings are in progress.

On January 13, the Ministry of Interior Affairs reported that Afghan security forces discovered and destroyed three hidden heroin processing laboratories along with a significant quantity of illegal drugs in the western Farah and southern Helmand provinces.

Counter-narcotics units executed targeted operations on the outskirts of these provinces, dismantling the facilities and retrieving substantial amounts of materials used in heroin production, as noted in the ministry's statements.

As part of their ongoing initiatives to tackle drug addiction, Afghan police recently apprehended 172 drug users in Kabul, transferring them to a rehabilitation center for medical assistance and support.

Additionally, Afghan forces conducted 10,599 operations throughout 2025, resulting in the confiscation of 2,356 tons of illegal drugs and the dismantling of 517 clandestine drug processing laboratories, according to official reports.

On December 21, the provincial police headquarters announced that Afghan counter-narcotics police had destroyed a drug processing facility and arrested a suspect in connection with the case in eastern Laghman province.

Acting on a tip-off, police executed an operation in Mehtarlam district on December 20, where they uncovered a drug processing site. A large cache of materials and equipment used for heroin production was confiscated and destroyed at the location, according to the statement.