Afghan police destroy three drug labs, arrest 38 drug smugglers

Kabul: Afghan counter-narcotics police have demolished three drug processing labs and arrested 38 suspects for involvement in the drug business in six of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said on Monday.

The police conducted operations on the outskirts of Firoz Koah city, the provincial capital and in Dawlat Yar district of the western Ghor province, discovering and destroying three drug labs, the ministry said in a statement.

Afghan authorities have intensified their crackdown on illicit drugs and related crimes. Security personnel have recently arrested 38 alleged drug smugglers in Kabul, Parwan, Khost, Nimroz, and Paktika provinces, according to the ministry.

Over 34 kg of illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, hashish, and hundreds of stimulant tablets, have been seized from the arrested suspects in the operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on June 18, 2023, Afghan police destroyed four drug processing labs and arrested three people on charge of involvement in the drug business.