Did Police Really Destroy Two Drug Labs in Afghanistan?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Police dismantled two drug labs in Uruzgan province.
- Over 3 tonnes of illegal materials were incinerated.
- Three suspects were arrested in connection with drug trafficking.
- The Afghan government is intensifying its anti-narcotics campaign.
- Previous operations have led to significant drug seizures in other provinces.
Kabul, Sep 24 (NationPress) Authorities in Afghanistan have successfully located and dismantled two drug processing facilities in the southern province of Uruzgan, according to a statement from the provincial police on Wednesday.
Following a tip-off, counter-narcotics officers conducted targeted raids in the Charchino and Chori districts on Monday, leading to the destruction of the two labs, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
During the operation, police also discovered and incinerated over 3 tonnes of various illegal materials utilized in the production of heroin, the statement revealed.
Additionally, three suspects were apprehended on charges related to drug trafficking and were subsequently transferred to the judicial system after preliminary investigations.
In a previous operation against illicit drugs, law enforcement seized 210 kg of opium poppy in the northern provinces of Baghlan and eastern Ghazni, apprehending four alleged traffickers.
On September 16, police uncovered another drug processing lab in Badakhshan province, arresting five individuals. Ehsanullah Kamgar, a spokesman for the provincial police, confirmed that, acting on intelligence, counter-narcotics officers raided a location in the Darayem district, uncovering a lab with 170 kg of processed opium poppy ready for conversion into heroin.
The Afghan government has ramped up its national campaign against narcotics, focusing on dismantling trafficking networks, cultivation, and production, with a strong commitment to eradicate poppy cultivation and heroin production.
On September 8, a police spokesman declared that authorities had dismantled six drug processing facilities, seizing over 10,000 kg of materials used in heroin production in the southern province of Helmand. Separate operations conducted by counter-narcotics units on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, resulted in the destruction of these labs and the confiscation of illegal substances, as noted by Mullah Ezatullah Haqqani, a spokesman for the provincial police.