KABUL, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan law enforcement agencies have arrested 13 people for alleged drug-related crimes in six provinces during the past week, authorities said on Wednesday.
"During the past seven days, the Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) and detective security organization arrested 13 people, including a woman, on suspicion of transportation of drugs and narcotics in Kabul, Khost, Balkh, Nangarhar, Uruzgan and Jawzjan provinces," Counter-Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force of Afghanistan (CJTF) said in a statement.
After initial investigations, the CNPA has handed over the cases to the Central Narcotics Tribunal or CNT, a special court for jurisdiction of major drug cases, the statement added.
Among the drugs and materials found from the suspects were 3 kg of heroin, over 177 kg of opium, and 580 kg of hashish, the statement said, adding the CNPA also seized three vehicles and 16 mobile phones from the arrested.
The security force also confiscated local and foreign currencies from the arrested, totaling around 1,800 U.S. dollars.
In addition, the primary court of Central Narcotics Tribunal has sentenced 10 suspects to sentences of three years and six months up to 20 years in prison and an appeal court of CNT has sentenced 11 drug offenders to different ranges of imprisonment over the period, the statement noted.
In 2017, some 9,000 tons of opium were produced in Afghanistan, a country notorious for growing opium-producing poppies.
