Kabul, May 25 (IANS) Afghan police have destroyed around 1,000 acres of poppy fields in Samangan province, north of Afghanistan, over the past two days in a drive against illegal crops and illicit drugs, provincial police spokesman Hashmatullah Rahmani said Monday.
During the counter-narcotics operations, which commenced recently in Dara-i-Suf Payen district and covered several villages, around 1,000 acres of land have been cleansed of poppy since the weekend, the official said, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The official added that stern action will be taken against anyone who produces or traffics illegal drugs.
Police have earlier reported the destruction of hundreds of acres of poppy farms in Baghlan, Takhar and Badakhshan provinces over the past couple of weeks.
On May 10, the provincial police office said that Afghan police have destroyed nearly 400 acres of land cultivated with narcotic crops in northern Afghanistan’s Baghlan province.
According to the statement, the eradication operations were carried out across several districts of the province, adding that the poppy fields had been cleared as part of ongoing anti-narcotics efforts in the province.
On May 2, security forces confiscated 55 kg of methamphetamine in Nimroz province in western Afghanistan.
Officials have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening counter-narcotics operations and preventing the spread of illegal drugs across the country.
On April 26, Ministry of Interior Affairs said that Afghan law enforcement authorities have arrested 80 individuals on charges of drug trafficking following a series of coordinated operations carried out across multiple provinces.
According to the ministry, counter-narcotics police conducted targeted raids in several regions, resulting in the seizure of significant quantities of illegal substances, including hashish, narcotic tablets, and materials used in the production of heroin.
The statement added that the arrests are part of ongoing nationwide efforts to curb drug trafficking and dismantle distribution networks.
On April 15, provincial director for Counter-Narcotics Qari Wahidullah Matawakil said the counter-narcotics police in the drive against illicit drugs have publicly burned more than 100 kg of different types of narcotics in Khost province, east of Afghanistan.
The contraband, which included hashish, heroin, opium poppy, and thousands of stimulant tablets locally known as (Tablet K), was publicly set alight, the official emphasised without giving more information.
No one has the right to produce or smuggle illegal drugs in the province, the official said, warning that police would take legal action against anyone who violates the law.
–IANS
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