Afghan police dismantle three drug labs, arrest 13 suspected smugglers

Kabul, July 1 (IANS) Afghanistan's counter-narcotic police have dismantled three clandestine drug processing labs and arrested 13 individuals suspected of involvement in drug-related activities across multiple provinces, the country's Ministry of Interior Affairs said in separate statements on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, the units of counter-narcotic police launched separate operations in the western provinces of Farah and Nimroz, as well as the southern Helmand province.

During these raids, authorities destroyed three drug labs and seized 26 litres of methamphetamine syrup, 20 litres of acid, 90 kg of ammonium, and 30 kg of a special lime used in drug processing.

In a separate statement, the ministry confirmed the arrest of 13 individuals involved in illegal drug trafficking and sales in the provinces of Kunar, Kunduz, Herat, Panjshir, Samangan, Khost, and Balkh.

In a related incident earlier this week, security personnel apprehended three drug smugglers in the eastern Ghazni province and confiscated 15 kg of methamphetamine, reported Xinhua news agency.

The Afghan interim government has vowed to fight illicit drugs, drug production, and trafficking, as well as crackdown on other criminal elements, to ensure law and order across the country.

Last week, while speaking at a gathering in Kabul to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, ministry spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani said that over 98,000 operations have been conducted across the country, leading to the destruction of over 20,000 clandestine drug processing labs and the arrest of more than 28,000 drug traffickers.

In a major crackdown on illicit crop cultivation, security forces have destroyed over 38,000 hectares of land used for growing poppy and hashish across the country, Qani said.

The Afghan police also set on fire more than 7.5 tonnes of illicit drugs, including opium and heroin, on Sunday, which had been collected over the past year in northern Afghanistan's Takhar province, the provincial police office said.

The contraband was confiscated in a series of operations across the province as the office said that no one would be allowed to cultivate illegal crops, process illicit drugs and engage in drug trafficking in the province.

The Afghan interim government banned poppy cultivation and its processing and drug trafficking in April 2022, and has vowed to eliminate drug menace in the country.

--IANS

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