Afghanistan Times
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By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: The Counter Narcotics Police (CNP) has discovered and confiscated 191.2 tons of drug during an operation conducted in Paktia province, officials said Monday.
“CNP especial unit conducted ground and air operations four days ago and seized big narcotics caches in Ahamad Abad village of Sayed Karam district of Paktia,” said Deputy Minister for Counter Narcotics for the Ministry of Interior Baz Mohammad Ahmadi.
He said 189.5 tons of hashish, 1,700 kg opium and 18kg heroin discovered and confiscated in the mentioned caches and torched in the area.
“The torched narcotics estimated $50 million, but if it was transferred to the international markets, it would cost about $500 million,” he claimed.
Ahmadi added that smugglers had fled the area before the operations, but the operations were going on to arrest them.
44 laboratories of process and producing of narcotics were destroyed in Paktika during the opearions, he stated.
“The operation has been supported by the US special forces as well as the CNP used the US forces’ helicopters.”
Insecurity directly linked with poppy cultivation and narcotics is an indirect financial resource for Taliban, thus big hands are behind drug cultivation, production and smuggling particularly Taliban commanders, he insisted.
“Most of the poppy cultivation transferred to insecurity area, which is another prove for linkage of drug and conflict,” Ahmadi asserted.
He highlighted that by torching the 191 tons of drug, the CNP imposed a big financial lose to the international mafia and Taliban in Paktia.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister said that two other operations had been conducted by the CNP in Paktia and Nangarhar in the past one week, which through around six drug traffickers were arrested with around 1,000 kilograms of opium.
Pointing to achievements, he said that CNP discovered and seized 522 tons of narcotics in the current year, which revealed a 90 percent increase as compared to last year. CNP had confiscated over 300 tons of narcotics last year.
CNP will strive hard to seriously fight against drug traffickers and bust their laboratories across the country, he underlined.
It is pertained to mention that CNP had discovered and confiscated 61 tons of hashish in Khak-e-Jabar district of Kabul last week.
