Kabul, Nov 18 A total of 309 individuals who had been struggling with drug addiction have made a full recovery and rejoined their families in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, state-run media reported on Tuesday.
The former addicts from the provincial capital Kandahar City and other districts of the province completed a comprehensive three-month medical treatment and rehabilitation program before being reintegrated into society, state-run Bakhtar News Agency quoted Mullah Assadullah Jamshidi, provincial police spokesperson, as saying.
In addition to medical care, participants received vocational training in dressmaking, motorcycle repair, and electrical appliance maintenance to facilitate their long-term recovery and economic independence, said the official.
Separately, the Office of the Deputy Minister of Interior for Counter-Narcotics announced that 161 people struggling with addiction have been transferred to rehabilitation centres across 11 provinces for treatment, reports Xinhua news agency.
Since assuming power, the Afghan government has enforced a strict ban on poppy cultivation and narcotics trafficking as part of a nationwide campaign to eradicate drug abuse and its devastating social consequences.
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 have 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 has been placed in custody for further investigation, the spokesman added.
Afghanistan has intensified counter-narcotics measures in recent years, launching targeted operations against trafficking networks, clandestine laboratories, and illegal markets.
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