RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has seized 4.5 tons of drugs worth Rs4.69 billion and arrested eight people, among them a female British national, in fresh actions across the country.

According to a press release issued on Wednesday, 4.47 tons of Charas, 32.1kg of heroin and 1.2kg of opium were seized and two vehicles impounded.

The Rawalpindi ANF’s airport team detained the British national, Ruqaya, who was travelling along with her 13-month-old granddaughter, and seized 10kg of heroin allegedly concealed in her bag.

She was intercepted during the check-in for an Emirates airline flight. The woman, hailing from Quetta, lives in Glasgow.

A car was impounded from the parking area of the Benazir Bhutto International Airport after 10kg of heroin was found in it. Mohammad Waqas of Gujranwala and Majid Farooq of Gujrat were arrested.

The ANF said Waqas was scheduled to fly to Italy via Dubai by an Emirates flight.

Also in Rawalpindi, 2kg of heroin concealed in a consignment of 340 baby suits destined for the United Kingdom was seized from articles belonging to the Fast Track Courier Company.

On the basis of an intelligence report, 4,464kg of Charas stuffed in 76 plastic bags was found concealed in mountains in Killi Deenar area of Qilla Abdullah district.

Suspects Zakirullah Khan of Charsadda and Maryam were arrested and 4.8kg of Charas and 1.2kg of opium seized on them at a bus stand in Peshawar when they were leaving for Lahore.

A car was intercepted near the Peshawar motorway toll plaza and 3.3kg hidden under the driver’s seat seized.

Gul Wali Khan of Khyber Agency, who was going from his current residence in Swat to Rawalpindi, was arrested.

A passenger, Kabil Khan of Peshawar, was arrested during the search of a bus at a checkpost on the Indus Highway in Kohat and 9kg of heroin concealed in a fridge that was being taken by him from the Karkhano Market to Karachi was seized.

Ejaz Hussain was arrested with 1.1kg of heroin in a raid near Al Mustafa Motors showroom on Jampur Road in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2014