Afghanistan Arrests 21 Drug Traffickers

The Afghan Police have arrested 21 drug traffickers within seven days as the conflict-hit country struggled to fight narcotics, authorities said on Tuesday.

“During the past seven days, the Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan and detective security organisation arrested 21 people, on suspicion of transportation of drugs and illegal narcotics.

“They were transported from Kabul, Nangarhar, Heart, Kandahar, Nimroz, Paktia, Faryab, Balkh and Ghor provinces,’’ Counter-Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force of Afghanistan said in a statement.

Police also confiscated 127kg of heroin, 65kg of opium, 1,469kg of hashish, 12kg methamphetamine and over 3,000 U.S. dollars cash.

Also confiscated were 23 mobile phones, four rounds of ammunition and four vehicles from the arrested, according to the statement.

The 19 cases were sent to the Central Narcotics Tribunal (CNT), a special Afghan court for jurisdiction of major drug cases, for further investigation, the statement added.

The CNT’s primary and appellate courts have sentenced up to 26 suspects involved in 21 drug-related cases from three years to 17 years in jail over the period, according to the statement.