Kabul, August 3: Afghan authorities have arrested a suspected drug trafficker and seized 75 kilograms of opium poppy in northern Takhar province, officials confirmed on Sunday. Provincial police spokesman Nizamudin Omir said the suspect was caught red-handed while attempting to sell the narcotics and has been taken into custody for investigation, Xinhua reported.
In a separate anti-narcotics operation in eastern Khost province, police detained three individuals and recovered six kilograms of hashish from their possession.
Meanwhile, in a significant development in the fight against drug abuse, authorities in Herat province announced that 400 people who had been struggling with drug addiction have completed rehabilitation and rejoined their families. These individuals, collected from various districts, underwent a three-month program of medical treatment and counseling.
Earlier this week, another 516 former drug users from Herat and neighboring Nimroz provinces also completed similar rehabilitation programs and were reunited with their families.
The Ministry of Interior for Counter-Narcotics has stepped up operations to address the country’s longstanding drug crisis. Recently, 125 drug users were taken off the streets in Farah, Balkh, Ghazni, Sari Pul, and Samangan provinces and transferred to rehabilitation centers for treatment.
The Afghan interim government has imposed a strict ban on the cultivation of opium poppy and the trafficking of narcotics as part of its broader campaign to curb drug abuse.
On July 27, the Ministry of Interior Affairs reported another major seizure in Badakhshan province, where counter-narcotics police discovered 57 kilograms of opium and arrested one suspect during a series of operations in Argo district.
Authorities reaffirmed their commitment to continue nationwide efforts to combat drug trafficking and addiction, which have long plagued Afghanistan’s social and economic stability.
