Kabul, Feb 3 (IANS) Police in western Afghanistan’s Farah province have arrested two drug smugglers and seized 75 kilograms of narcotics, provincial police spokesman Mullah Kalimullah Nangyal said Tuesday.
The official added that acting on intelligence, security forces raided a location in Farah Rod district on Monday, apprehending the two suspects and confiscating 75 kg of raw opium.
An assault rifle was also recovered from the operation site, the spokesman said, Xinhua News Agency reported.
This marks the second seizure of illegal drugs recently reported in western Afghanistan.
On February 1, the provincial police office said that police have seized 170 kg of illegal drugs from a vehicle in western Afghanistan’s Herat province and taken two alleged drug smugglers into custody.
Based on intelligence, police intercepted a car on Saturday and, after a search, recovered 170 kg of opium and hashish from hidden compartments in the vehicle, the statement said. It added that two individuals in the car were arrested on charges of attempting to traffic the contraband to an unknown destination.
The arrestees will be handed over to judicial authorities after preliminary interrogation is completed, the statement further noted.
Police will not allow anyone to produce or traffic illegal drugs anywhere in the province, the statement emphasised.
In a similar operation, police in eastern Khost province discovered 18 kg of hashish and arrested an alleged drug trafficker.
In December last year, Afghan police have arrested eight individuals on charges of production and smuggling of narcotics in the northern Jawzjan province, local media outlet Tolo News reported.
According to the report, provincial police conducted targeted operations that led to the arrest of the suspects and the seizure of a significant quantity of illicit drugs, including hashish and heroin. The drugs were reportedly discovered at locations linked to the detained individuals.
The arrests are part of ongoing efforts by Afghan authorities to combat illegal production, trafficking, and distribution of narcotics across the country.
–IANS
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