KABUL, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Afghan counter-narcotics police have thwarted two major drug trafficking attempts and arrested three suspected smugglers in northern Takhar and southern Zabul provinces, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the ministry, acting on intelligence tips, security forces launched two separate operations on the outskirts of Taluqan city, the capital of Takhar, and Shajoy district of Zabul, seizing 249 kg of opium and apprehending three traffickers. The detainees are under preliminary investigation and will be handed over to judicial organs for further legal action, the statement added.
In a related development, Afghan counter-narcotics police on Monday arrested 16 suspected drug traffickers and confiscated 872 kg of narcotics in western Herat province, the ministry reported. ■
