KABUL, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Afghan police set on fire 29.8 tons of illegal drugs seized during a series of operations in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, according to a statement issued late Monday by the office of the Deputy Minister of Interior for Counter-Narcotics.
The confiscated substances included 1,442 kg of methamphetamine (ICE), 588 kg of heroin, 15,714 kg of hashish, 460 kg of opium poppy, and other narcotics, along with materials used in drug production, said the statement.
The contraband was uncovered during counter-narcotics operations in Jalalabad city and various districts of the province, it said.
Without furnishing details on whether the narcotics had been discovered, the statement noted that 2,586 individuals were arrested for smuggling, purchasing, and selling the illicit drugs, and their dossiers were referred to the judiciary for further investigation.
Additionally, police have rounded up 5,786 drug users in the province and shifted them to rehabilitation centers for treatment, it said.
The Afghan interim government, which banned poppy cultivation, drug processing, and trafficking in April 2022, has vowed to fight the menace until the country becomes a drug-free nation. ■