Afghan police incinerate nearly 220 tons of seized illicit drugs
This photo taken on Nov. 9, 2025 shows smoke rising from burning seized illicit drugs in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
KABUL, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities destroyed on Sunday nearly 220 tons of illicit drugs by fire, confiscated during operations across the central region including capital Kabul, state-run Radio and Television Afghanistan (RTA) reported.
The substances included methamphetamine (ICE), heroin, hashish, opium, stimulate tablets and production materials, according to Deputy Minister of Counter-Narcotics Mohammad Qasim Khaled.
About 750 individuals were arrested for drug smuggling, purchasing, and sales, with their cases referred to judicial authorities, Khaled asserted.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani stated during the event that since the Taliban took over power, narcotics cultivation, trafficking, and sales have been reduced to zero.
The Afghan government, having banned poppy cultivation, drug processing, and trafficking in April 2022, remains committed to eliminating the narcotics threat entirely. ■
This photo taken on Nov. 9, 2025 shows smoke rising from burning seized illicit drugs in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
Staff members prepare seized illicit drugs for incineration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 9, 2025. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
