Afghan police destroy six drug labs, seize over 10,000 kg of illicit substances

Kabul, Sep 8 (IANS) Afghan police have dismantled six drug processing labs and seized more than 10,000 kg of materials used in heroin production in the southern province of Helmand, a provincial police spokesman announced on Monday.

Counter-narcotics police units conducted separate operations on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, and in various districts, destroying the labs and confiscating the illicit substances, said Mullah Ezatullah Haqqani, spokesman for the provincial police, Xinhua News Agency reported.

In a concerted effort against illicit drugs, police discovered 292 kg of opium, heroin, and hashish, arresting 12 suspected smugglers in the provinces of Panjshir, Baghlan, Kunduz, and Balkh, the country's Ministry of Interior Affairs stated on Monday.

Meanwhile, the police discovered 145 kg of illegal drugs in the northern region of Afghanistan and took into custody 10 alleged drug smugglers, read a statement of the Ministry for Interior Affairs.

In the drive against illicit drugs, counter-narcotics police arrested three persons and discovered 106 kg of opium poppy and 32 kg of hashish in Kunduz province on Sunday. Another man with 4 kg of hashish was arrested in the neighboring Baghlan and six persons with 3 kg of illegal drugs were detained in Balkh province, the statement of the ministry posted on X said.

The police won't allow anyone to produce or smuggle illegal drugs in the country, the statement further said.

Earlier on September 4, provincial police spokesman Nizamudin Omir said that police discovered 78 kg of opium poppy type in the northern Afghanistan Takhar province and took into custody an individual on charge of attempting to smuggle the contraband.

The alleged drug smuggler placed 78 kg of opium poppy in the cavities of a car and wanted to take it from Takhar to an unknown location, but police, during a routine search, recovered the contraband and arrested its owner, the official said. Earlier, police discovered 18 kg of opium poppy and detained two smugglers in the northern Baghlan province on September 2.

--IANS

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