RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) seized 3.45 tons of narcotics, including 58.5kg of heroin, in raids conducted in various parts of the country. The major chunk of the drug was to be smuggled abroad, an ANF press release said on Friday.

The ANF arrested six mules, including a Nigerian, and impounded three vehicles in seven raids carried out in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Attock, Jhelum, Karachi and Killa Abdullah.

Personnel of the ANF intercepted a truck on Super Highway near Karachi and recovered 30kg heroin from under the layers of soapstone the vehicle was laden with and arrested the driver. The truck was coming from Peshawar and was on its way to Kemari where the drug, to be smuggled abroad apparently by sea, was to be handed over to the smugglers.

The ANF seized 3,381kg charas in an operation it carried out in Killi Habib Zai, Dashti Lorah, Gulistan tehsil in Killa Abdullah.

The drug was packed in 73 bags and concealed in mountain clefts for onward journey to coastal belt of Balochistan and then to a foreign destination through sea route.

A Toyota Corolla going to Faisalabad was stopped by the ANF personnel near Burhan in Attock district and 24kg heroin was found in its improvised cavities. A suspect, identified as Rakhman-ud-Din, of Peshawar was arrested.

The Rawalpindi Road checking team of the ANF upon search of a Suzuki jeep near Burhan Motorway Interchange in Attock, found 10kg charas concealed in secret cavities of the vehicle. Abdul Ghafar Khan of Khyber Agency was taken into custody who was trying to smuggle the narcotics to Gilgit.

An alleged drug pusher, Tahir Mehmood Butt, of Jhelum was arrested near a petrol pump on G.T. Road near Sohawa in Jhelum district. About 2kg heroin was seized on him.

A Nigerian national, Okoke Uchena Emmanuel, was arrested at the Benazir International Airport Islamabad after he was found to be carrying 500 gram heroin in his jacket and 75 capsules in his stomach. He was to fly to Nigeria via Doha on Qatar Airlines.

An operation at Ghausia Bus Stand at Pir Wadhai Mor in Rawalpindi resulted in the recovery of 2kg heroin from an accused, who had come from Peshawar to deliver the drug to local peddlers.

Cases have been registered at respective ANF police stations for investigation.

Published in Dawn December 13th , 2014