KABUL, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities on Monday destroyed about 1,000 tonnes of expired and substandard medicines and cosmetics in southern Kandahar province, which had been seized as illicit imports over the past 18 months, a senior customs official said.
The confiscated products, valued at more than 20 million U.S. dollars, had accumulated at border crossing points across the province after being illegally imported, according to Mawlawi Mansoorul Haq Zakir, head of Kandahar Customs.
Officials described the goods as outdated, low-quality and below national quality standards.
The destruction forms part of intensified efforts to safeguard public health and enforce quality controls across the country. Authorities in northern Balkh province destroyed 142 tonnes of expired and substandard medicines and food products in a similar operation in late October. ■