230 arrested in major drug bust

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AT-KABUL: Over 230 people have been arrested in major drug trafficking sweeps during this year’s first quarter in Afghanistan, which is hit hard by the opioid epidemic.

Criminal Justice Task Force spokesperson Ahmad Khaled Moahed said Sunday that counternarcotics police in major drug busts across several provinces have arrested 230 drug smugglers.

He stated Kabul and Nangarhar have record number of cases related to drug smuggling.

He linked major drug bust of counter-narcotics police to ‘improved intelligence operations and perseverance’.

Some 856 kg heroin, 380 kg morphine, 6,439 kg opium, 21,085 kg hashish, 14 kg crystal, 47,187 kg chemical precursors, 6,159 K Tablets and over 3,357 liters alcoholic beverages have been discovered and confiscated in the drug sweeps, he said.

“Among convicts are nine public servants, thirteen women and two foreigners,” he reckoned. Some 67 people were arrested in Hamid Karzai International Airport while trying to smuggle drugs to India and Saudi Arabia. They hid drugs in their abdomens and attempted passing police checkpoint in the airport.

The criminal taskforce had assessed the charges, referring the convicts for criminal prosecution, he said. “Convicts will be prosecuted in a transparent manner in line with all legislative processes,” he assured.

CJTF primary and appellate courts have thus far sentenced 179 drug traffickers including a woman to 1 to 20 years of jail time.