Afghan Police discover 16 kg of opium, arrest suspect in Badakhshan province

Kabul, Dec 10 Afghan police have arrested an individual on charges of drug smuggling and confiscated 16 kg of opium in northern Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, provincial police spokesman Ehsanullah Kamgar said Wednesday.

The arrest took place during an operation in the Kishim district of the province. Police found the suspect in possession of the contraband and have taken him into custody for further investigation, the official said, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The latest operation highlights continued counter-narcotics efforts aimed at disrupting trafficking networks and reducing the flow of illegal drugs in the region.

On November 30, local police said that a consignment of illegal drugs was seized in western Afghanistan's Nimroz province and its owner taken into custody.

The alleged drug smuggler, according to the official, was attempting to take 3 kg of methamphetamine out of the province, but police foiled the attempt and took him into custody, spokesman for the provincial police office Mawlawi Gul Mohammad Qudrat said.

The Afghan government, which outlawed cultivation of illegal crops including poppy and hashish in 2022, has vowed to continue the war against drugs, their production, process and trafficking until the once drug-producing nation becomes free of the drug menace.

On November 16, the Ministry of Interior Affairs stated that Afghan counter-narcotics police seized a quantity of illicit drugs, including crystal meth, and arrested 21 suspected smugglers in separate operations across multiple provinces.

The seizure included 86 kg of raw hashish, 5 kg of crystal meth, a quantity of methamphetamine, stimulant tablets, and some other types of narcotics.

The drugs were discovered during a series of routine police operations, said the statement.

21 individuals were arrested in connection with the cases, it noted.

The police will not allow anyone to produce, purchase, or smuggle illegal drugs in the country, the Ministry said, reaffirming its commitment to combating the narcotics trade.

On November 14, provincial police spokesman Nizamudin Omir said that Afghan Police had arrested a suspected drug smuggler and confiscated illicit narcotics during an operation in the northern Takhar province.

According to the official, the suspect was detained while attempting to transport crystal methamphetamine and other chemicals used in heroin production to Taluqan, the provincial capital, where he allegedly planned to sell the materials.

The suspect was placed in custody for further investigation, the spokesman added.

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