Kabul: More than 35,000 individuals struggling with drug addiction have completed treatment and rejoined their families across Afghanistan over the past year, government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced on Wednesday.
The 35,228 recovered addicts received medical treatment and rehabilitation before being reintegrated into society, Mujahid said, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The Afghan government has enforced bans on poppy cultivation and narcotics trafficking as part of a comprehensive campaign to combat drug abuse and its societal impacts.
On December 21, provincial police headquarters stated that Afghan counter-narcotics police have destroyed a drug processing laboratory and arrested one suspect in connection with the case in the eastern Laghman province.
Acting on a tip-off, police carried out an operation in Mehtarlam district on December 20, where they uncovered a drug processing facility. A large quantity of materials and equipment used for heroin production was seized and destroyed at the site, the statement said.
On November 14, provincial police spokesman Nizamudin Omir said that Afghan police have arrested a suspected drug smuggler and confiscated illicit narcotics during an operation in the northern Takhar province.
According to the official, the suspect was detained while attempting to transport crystal methamphetamine and other chemicals used in heroin production to Taluqan, the provincial capital, where he allegedly planned to sell the materials.
The suspect has been placed in custody for further investigation, the spokesman added.
Afghanistan has intensified counter-narcotics measures in recent years, launching targeted operations against trafficking networks, clandestine laboratories, and illegal markets.
On November 9, provincial police spokesman Gul Mohammad Qudrat said that Afghan counter-narcotics forces had confiscated 170 kg of opium poppy and apprehended two suspected smugglers in the western Nimroz province.
The seizure took place during a targeted operation in the Zanjer Sharqi area along the Zaranj-Delaram highway, the official said.
(IANS)
