98 tons seized drugs burned in Afghanistan
Xinhua, December 20, 2016 Adjust font size:
Afghan authorities burned about 98 tons of seized narcotic drugs on the outskirts of Kabul on Tuesday, the latest in the fight against the illicit drugs and trafficking of the contraband.
"Among the narcotics put on fire and demolished were opium, heroin, morphine, hashish and other types of illegal drugs," Deputy to Interior Ministry on Counter-Narcotics General Baz Mohammad Ahmadi told reporters at the site.
They were confiscated by Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) and security forces in Kabul province and surrounding areas during the year, the official said.
In spite of government efforts, much of the world's opium poppy is cultivated in the militancy-hit country, particularly in western and southern parts of the country, where government security forces have little presence.
On Friday, the CNPA backed by the NATO-led coalition forces destroyed drugs which have been estimated at over 44 million U.S. dollars in eastern Paktia province.
Some 4,800 tons of opium have been produced this year in Afghanistan, which is home to some 1.9 million to 2.4 million drug addicts, according to the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics. Endit