Afghanistan: Police apprehend 157 people in anti-narcotics sweep in Kabul
Kabul, Aug 25 (IANS) Afghan authorities have apprehended 157 individuals on charges of drug trafficking and procurement, confiscating some 400 kg of narcotics in the capital, Kabul, over the past month, the Ministry of Interior Affairs announced in a statement on Tuesday.
The arrests and seizures were carried out during a series of targeted counter-narcotics operations and routine vehicle inspections conducted across the city, the ministry said.
In addition to the bulk narcotics, nearly 10,000 stimulant tablets were uncovered in the possession of the detained suspects during the security sweep, Xinhua News Agency reported.
In a parallel crackdown on illicit substances, counter-narcotics police confiscated more than 800 kg of raw opium across the provinces of northern Kunduz, Takhar, western Ghor, and eastern Wardak over the past three days.
On Monday, the provincial police office said that police personnel discovered 48 kilograms of illegal opium-type drugs from a car in eastern Afghanistan’s Wardak province and took its smuggler into custody.
The alleged drug smuggler was attempting to traffic the contraband from the northern Balkh province to western Farah, and then onward to an unknown destination. However, police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted the vehicle and recovered the narcotics.
The suspect was in police custody and would be handed over to the judiciary after the completion of a preliminary investigation.
In similar operations on August 22, police reported the discovery of 190 kg of opium and the arrest of a drug smuggler in the northern Takhar province.
On August 8, Afghan police seized a quantity of narcotics and arrested six people in northern Takhar province, provincial police spokesman Nizamuddin Omir said.
The suspects were arrested while allegedly transporting the narcotics, which had been concealed in vehicles, Omir said.
The case was referred to relevant authorities, and preliminary investigations into the suspects are underway, he added.
On July 16, Afghan police seized 241 kilograms of illicit drugs and arrested nine suspects during two recent separate operations in northeastern Badakhshan province, the official media Bakhtar News Agency said.
According to the report, special police forces discovered the narcotics during raids conducted in the Pul-e Begum and Tashkan areas, where the drugs were recovered from a vehicle and a residential house.
The statement said nine individuals were taken into custody during the operations. The suspects are under investigation, while authorities reaffirmed their commitment to combating drug trafficking and related criminal activities across the country.
–IANS
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