Police Discover 12 Kg Of Illicit Drugs, Arrest One Smuggler In Afghanistan

(MENAFN- IANS) Kabul, Feb 8 (IANS) Police have discovered 12 kg of illicit drugs in northern Afghanistan's Baghlan province and detained an individual for involvement in drug trafficking from the area, district police chief Qari Naqibullah Muhammadi said on Saturday.

The contraband, including 12 kg of hashish, was discovered in the Banu district of this province, the official said, adding the police have also arrested one drug smuggler.

Police won't allow anyone to produce or smuggle hashish, poppy, or the objects used in manufacturing heroin in the province, the official said.

In a separate matter, Afghan counter-narcotics police have uncovered 102 kg of methamphetamine, or ice, in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, the office of Deputy Minister of Interior for Counter-Narcotics said in a statement.

The contraband was discovered at the Torkham border crossing point between Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the statement, adding that one individual was arrested in connection with the case and his dossier was referred to the judiciary for further investigation and possible legal process, Xinhua news agency reported.

Similarly, Afghan police seized 200 kg methamphetamine during operations in the western province of Nimroz in September of last year.

The Afghan caretaker government has committed to combating illegal drugs, as well as the production and trafficking of narcotics throughout the war-stricken country.

Last month, authorities of the counter-narcotics department destroyed 10.5 tonnes of illegal drugs in central Afghanistan's Bamiyan province, the provincial police office said in a statement.

The contraband, including opium poppy, hashish, objects used in manufacturing heroin, and other toxic items, was burned publicly on Tuesday, the statement said.

Police in Bamiyan had banned the cultivation of poppy, drug processing, and drug trafficking in the province.

Afghanistan is known to have the highest number of opiate users in the world. The national rate of drug users was 12.6 per cent among adults in 2015, being almost two times higher than the global rate of 5.2 per cent. At least one family member used drugs at one out of three households in Afghanistan.

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