Kabul, Aug 28 (IANS) Afghan police burned more than 2.5 tonnes of illicit narcotics in northern Takhar province, provincial police office spokesman Naqibullah Masroor said on Friday.
The narcotics included 2,000 kg of opium, 335 kg of hashish, over 200 kg of methamphetamine, the police official said, warning of taking stern action against anyone who produces or traffics narcotics across the province, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Afghan counter-narcotics police have intensified their crackdown on illegal drugs with 400 kg of narcotics confiscated and 157 individuals arrested on drug trafficking charges over the past month.
The arrests and seizures were carried out during a series of targeted counter-narcotics operations and routine vehicle inspections conducted across the city, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement.
In addition to the bulk narcotics, nearly 10,000 stimulant tablets were uncovered in the possession of the detained suspects during the security sweep.
In a parallel crackdown on illicit substances, counter-narcotics police confiscated more than 800 kg of raw opium across the provinces of northern Kunduz, Takhar, western Ghor, and eastern Wardak over the past three days.
On August 24, the provincial police office said that police personnel discovered 48 kilograms of illegal opium-type drugs from a car in eastern Afghanistan’s Wardak province and took its smuggler into custody.
The alleged drug smuggler was attempting to traffic the contraband from the northern Balkh province to western Farah, and then onward to an unknown destination. However, police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted the vehicle and recovered the narcotics.
The suspect was in police custody and would be handed over to the judiciary after the completion of a preliminary investigation.
In similar operations on August 22, police reported the discovery of 190 kg of opium and the arrest of a drug smuggler in the northern Takhar province.
On August 8, Afghan police seized a quantity of narcotics and arrested six people in northern Takhar province, provincial police spokesman Nizamuddin Omir said.
The suspects were arrested while allegedly transporting the narcotics, which had been concealed in vehicles, Omir said.
The case was referred to relevant authorities, and preliminary investigations into the suspects are underway, he added.
–IANS
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