Afghan police bust major drug ring in the north, seize 145 kg of illegal drugs and arrest 10 smugglers. In a big crackdown on drug trafficking in Afghanistan, authorities uncovered 145 kg of banned substances and nabbed 10 suspects across northern provinces. The Ministry of Interior Affairs shared the details in a statement on Monday, highlighting their ongoing fight against narcotics.
On Sunday, counter-narcotics teams in Kunduz province arrested three people and seized 106 kg of opium poppy along with 32 kg of hashish. Right next door in Baghlan, officers caught another man with 4 kg of hashish. Meanwhile, in Balkh province, six more suspects landed in custody with 3 kg of illegal drugs. “We won’t let anyone produce or smuggle drugs in our country,” the ministry declared firmly on X (formerly Twitter), as reported by Xinhua News Agency.
This isn’t the first recent win for Afghan police against drug smugglers. Just last Thursday in Takhar province, they found 78 kg of opium poppy hidden inside a car’s cavities. The owner, who planned to drive it to an unknown spot, got arrested during a routine check. Provincial police spokesman Nizamuddin Omir confirmed the bust, calling it a key stop to illegal drug smuggling in northern Afghanistan.
A few days earlier on September 2, teams in Baghlan seized 18 kg of opium poppy and detained two more smugglers. These quick actions show how Afghan authorities are ramping up efforts to curb drug trafficking routes in the region.
Looking back to August, police in eastern Nangarhar province destroyed a massive 29.8 tonnes of seized illegal drugs by setting them on fire. The haul included 1,442 kg of methamphetamine (also known as ICE), 588 kg of heroin, 15,714 kg of hashish, 460 kg of opium poppy, and other narcotics, plus tools for drug production. This came from operations in Jalalabad city and nearby districts, according to the Deputy Minister of Interior for Counter-Narcotics.
In total, 2,586 people faced arrest for smuggling, buying, or selling these drugs, and their cases went to the courts for further probe. On top of that, police rounded up 5,786 drug users in Nangarhar and sent them to rehab centers for treatment. It’s all part of the Afghan interim government’s tough stance since they banned poppy cultivation, drug processing, and trafficking back in April 2022. Officials promise to keep battling until Afghanistan becomes a drug-free nation.
