Kabul, July 8 Afghanistan Police has thwarted attempts to smuggle 43 kg illegal opium type drugs and arrested two individuals on charges of involvement in the drug business in eastern Wardak province, Provincial Director for counter-narcotics police Hajji Sayed Jan said Tuesday.
The alleged drug traffickers were attempting to take the contraband, which was smuggled from the northern Balkh, onward to the western Farah province. They were intercepted by police in Wardak's provincial capital, Maidan Shar and drugs confiscated, the official added.
Both the arrested men, after necessary investigation, would be handed over to the judiciary for further interrogation, the official further said.
Further, police has also launched operations to destroy hashish farms in northern Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, provincial police spokesman Ehsanullah Kamgar said Tuesday.
The campaign formally began from Wardoj and Darayem districts, the official said, adding the drive would last until the province became free of all illegal crops, including hashish and poppy, reported Xinhua news agency.
In line with the directives of the leadership of the Afghan interim government, police would do their best to strictly check the cultivation of illegal crops, including poppy and hashish, processing of drugs and drug trafficking, the official emphasised.
During search operations, police found 1500 kg of opium poppy from inside a tanker of liquid gas on July 5 and arrested a drug smuggler who was attempting to take the contraband out of Takhar province, the official said.
Police also discovered 7.5 tonnes of illicit drugs, including opium poppy and heroin, in the province.
Last week, in a similar operation, the police discovered an illegal drug of opium poppy type in northern Afghanistan's Baghlan province and arrested four suspects, provincial counter-narcotics police chief Mullah Mohammad Nabi Kamran said Saturday.
Personnel of counter-narcotics police in two separate operations, which were launched in the provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri and Julga districts a couple of days ago, found 61 kg of opium poppy, the official said.
In a related elimination of illegal drugs, police discovered six kg of heroin and 36 kg of opium poppy in the western Nimroz province on July 2 and detained an alleged drug trafficker.
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