How Did Afghan Police Successfully Prevent Drug Smuggling?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Afghan police seized 43 kg of illegal opium-type drugs.
- Two suspects were arrested in Wardak province.
- Operations are underway to destroy hashish farms in Badakhshan.
- Authorities discovered significant amounts of opium in various provinces.
- Government directives aim to combat illegal drug cultivation.
Kabul, July 8 (NationPress) The police in Afghanistan have successfully blocked an attempt to smuggle 43 kg of illicit opium-type drugs and apprehended two suspects involved in the narcotics trade in the eastern province of Wardak, as reported by Provincial Director for Counter-Narcotics Police Hajji Sayed Jan on Tuesday.
The accused drug traffickers were caught while trying to move the drugs, which had been smuggled from the northern Balkh province, to the western Farah province. They were intercepted in the provincial capital of Wardak, Maidan Shar, where the contraband was also seized, according to the official.
Following the necessary investigations, both detainees will be transferred to the judiciary for further questioning, the official stated.
In addition, police have initiated operations aimed at dismantling hashish farms in the northern province of Badakhshan, as confirmed by provincial police spokesman Ehsanullah Kamgar on Tuesday.
This campaign officially commenced in the Wardoj and Darayem districts, with plans to continue until the province is cleared of all illegal crops, including hashish and poppy, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
In alignment with directives from the Afghan interim government’s leadership, police are committed to rigorously controlling the cultivation of illegal crops, including poppy and hashish, as well as drug processing and trafficking, the official emphasized.
During recent search operations, authorities discovered 1500 kg of opium poppy concealed inside a liquid gas tanker on July 5 and arrested a smuggler attempting to transport the contraband out of Takhar province, the official revealed.
Additionally, police uncovered 7.5 tonnes of illegal drugs, including opium poppy and heroin, in the region.
Last week, another operation in northern Afghanistan’s Baghlan province led to the discovery of illegal opium-type drugs, resulting in the arrest of four suspects, according to provincial counter-narcotics police chief Mullah Mohammad Nabi Kamran on Saturday.
Counter-narcotics personnel, in two separate operations in the provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri and Julga districts, found 61 kg of opium poppy, the official reported.
In a related crackdown on illegal drugs, police also seized 6 kg of heroin and 36 kg of opium poppy in the western Nimroz province on July 2 and apprehended a suspected drug trafficker.