Afghan security forces have dismantled eight clandestine heroin laboratories in Ghor Province and arrested 17 suspected drug traffickers, as authorities intensify efforts to curb the country’s illegal narcotics trade. Separate operations in Farah, Helmand and Herat have also resulted in the destruction of large quantities of drugs.
Kabul: Afghanistan’s security forces have stepped up their crackdown on drug production and trafficking, destroying eight secret heroin laboratories in the western province of Ghor and arresting 17 suspected traffickers.
The operation was conducted by anti-narcotics units following an intelligence tip-off, according to provincial police spokesman Mawlawi Abdul Rahman Badri. Security personnel raided the outskirts of Chahar Sada district, where they dismantled the laboratories and seized substantial quantities of narcotics and chemicals used in heroin production.
The arrested suspects were taken into custody and handed over to judicial authorities, along with the relevant case documents, for further legal proceedings.
Nearly one tonne of drugs destroyed in Farah
The anti-drugs campaign has extended beyond Ghor Province. On 18 October, police in the western province of Farah publicly destroyed nearly one tonne of illegal narcotics.
Provincial police spokesman Qaleemullah Nangyal said the seized substances included 955 kg of opium-based narcotics and hashish, as well as 36 kg of methamphetamine. The drugs had been confiscated during a series of recent operations.
One suspected trafficker was also arrested in connection with the operation and was due to be handed over to judicial authorities after the preliminary investigation.
136 kg of narcotics seized in Helmand
In a separate operation in southern Afghanistan, police seized 136 kg of opium-based narcotics during searches of two vehicles in Sangin district, Helmand Province, on 15 October.
According to the provincial Directorate of Information and Culture, three suspected drug traffickers were detained in connection with the seizure. Officials said the suspects would be transferred to judicial authorities once the initial investigation had been completed.
161 tonnes of drugs destroyed in Herat
Meanwhile, authorities in western Herat Province have destroyed 161 tonnes of various illegal narcotics seized during a year-long anti-drugs campaign.
On 13 October, provincial police spokesman Syed Masood Hussaini confirmed that the drugs had been burned following their confiscation in operations across Herat city and several districts of the province.
The latest actions in Ghor, Farah, Helmand and Herat highlight the scale of Afghanistan’s ongoing efforts to disrupt drug production, trafficking and distribution networks across the country.
