Afghan police smash 21 drug processing labs, arrest 20 drug smugglers

Kabul, Nov 7 (IANS) Afghan counter-narcotic police have destroyed 21 drug processing labs and arrested 20 suspects for alleged involvement in illicit drug business in eight out of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, the Ministry of Interior said in two separate statements on Thursday.

Units of counter-narcotic police launched separate operations on the outskirts of Firoz Koah city, the capital of western Ghor province, discovering and destroying 21 drug processing labs, the statement added.

According to the statement, a large amount of illicit drugs and the equipment used in manufacturing heroin were also confiscated during the counter-narcotic operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, police have taken into custody 20 suspects on the charge of involvement in illegal drug trafficking, sales and purchases in the provinces of Herat, Nangarhar, Ghazni, Samangan, Parwan, Sari Pul, and Farah, the Ministry said in another statement.

The Afghan caretaker government has vowed to fight illicit drugs, and drug production and trafficking across the country.

--IANS

int/jk/as