Afghan police seize 125 kg of methamphetamine in Helmand province

Kabul, July 14 (IANS) Afghanistan's counter-narcotics police have seized 125 kg of methamphetamine during a series of operations in the Helmand province, the provincial information and culture department said in a statement.

The contraband was discovered on the outskirts of the Khanshin district, said the statement on Sunday, adding that four individuals were arrested in connection with the case and their dossiers have been referred to the judiciary for further investigation and possible legal process.

The Afghan interim government banned poppy cultivation, its processing into drugs, and drug trafficking to eliminate the menace of drugs from the once poppy-growing country, reported Xinhua news agency.

Earlier on July 3, police discovered illegal drugs, including 6 kg of heroin and 36 kg of opium, in the western Nimroz province, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement.

Acting on a tip-off, the counter-narcotics police raided the Konak area and confiscated the illicit drug, the statement said.

Police also took into custody an individual for investigations, the statement said, adding that the police would hand over the man to the judiciary for further investigations.

The Afghan interim government has vowed to fight against illicit drugs until the country becomes a drug-free nation.

In another operation in June, Afghan police discovered 48 kg of methamphetamine in the western province of Herat.

Following this, in a similar incident on June 18, the police discovered a drug processing lab in the Uruzgan province and arrested six individuals on the charge of involvement in the illegal business, provincial police spokesman Bilal Uruzgan said.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided a place in the second Police District of the provincial capital Tirin Kot and seized 1,050 kg of material used in manufacturing illicit drugs, the official added.

All the arrested individuals have been taken into custody for investigation, the official noted without providing more details.

--IANS

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