What Happened in Ghazni? Afghan Police Seizes 225 kg of Opium
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- 225 kg of opium seized by Afghan police in Ghazni.
- Pursuit of the fleeing driver is ongoing.
- Previous operations have dismantled drug labs and eradicated poppy farms.
- Nationwide ban on illegal crop cultivation enforced since April 2022.
- Continued efforts are essential to combat drug trafficking effectively.
Kabul, Nov 4 (NationPress) In a significant operation, police in Ghazni province of eastern Afghanistan confiscated 225 kg of opium concealed within a vehicle, according to a statement from the provincial police office on Tuesday.
The authorities revealed that the illegal substance was ingeniously hidden in secret compartments of the car and was detected during a routine inspection in the Muqar district on Sunday.
The driver managed to escape from the scene, as confirmed by the official, who noted that search efforts are ongoing to apprehend the owner of the seized drugs, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.
In a related anti-narcotics initiative a few days prior, police uncovered and dismantled a drug processing facility in the eastern province of Paktia.
On November 1, a local police officer reported that Afghan counter-narcotics forces had eradicated 400 acres of illicit poppy farms in Badakhshan province.
These operations targeted unlawful crops in the surrounding areas of Baharak, Jurm, Shuhada, and Darayem districts, according to provincial police spokesperson Ehsanullah Kamgar.
Kamgar emphasized that security forces are committed to preventing the cultivation of poppy or any other prohibited crops in the province.
In April 2022, the Afghan government enforced a nationwide prohibition on the cultivation of illegal crops, including poppy and hashish.
Earlier in August, provincial police spokesman Ehsanullah Kamgar disclosed that police detained a drug smuggler and seized 92 kg of opium poppy found in his possession in northern Badakhshan.
The suspected smuggler had concealed the opium within the cavities of a car and was attempting to transport it out of Badakhshan on Monday, but police successfully identified and arrested him. Kamgar added that the man, along with his vehicle and the confiscated poppy, was placed in police custody for further investigation.
In July, counter-narcotics police eradicated 170 acres of poppy farms in northern Afghanistan's Baghlan province, as stated by the provincial police office. Law enforcement efforts concerning these illicit crops were executed in the outskirts of the Tala-o-Barfak and Pul-e-Hesar districts.