Police destroy drug processing lab in W. Afghanistan

ZARANJ, Afghanistan, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — Counter-narcotics police have discovered and destroyed a drug processing lab in western Afghanistan’s Nimroz province, an official said Monday.
Acting on a tip-off, police launched operations in the province’s Dilaram district on Sunday. In addition to destroying the drug lab, the police also discovered and burned a large quantity of materials used in manufacturing heroin, district director for counter-narcotics police Mawlawi Samiullah Samim said.
No drug traffickers were arrested at the site of the operations, the official said, adding that efforts are ongoing to apprehend those involved in the drug business.
Over the past few months, police destroyed hundreds of poppy farms across Afghanistan, a country once known for its extensive poppy cultivation.
The Afghan caretaker government banned poppy cultivation, drug processing, and drug trafficking in April 2022. ■