TALOQAN (PAN): Sixteen drug smugglers were arrested and hundreds of kilograms of narcotics seized in northeastern Takhar province over the past month, an official said on Sunday.
Police chief Col. Abdul Hanan Qataghani told a news conference that smugglers and illegal armed groups posed a threat to the security situation in Takhar and could disrupt the elections process.
However, he warned such elements of strong action if they did not stop their activities. The police chief said 16 smugglers were arrested and 200 kilograms of heroin, 24 kilograms of opium and 40 kilograms of hashish seized last month.
Poppy crops were destroyed over 294 acres of land in Rustaq and Namakab districts of the province. Security forces also seized 46 mines, eight cars and a large amount of explosives.
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