RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) claimed to have seized around 9.5 tonnes of narcotics during nine countrywide crackdowns.

According to a press release, the force also claimed to have rounded up seven people allegedly involved in drug-trafficking.

On Tuesday, the ANF said that they had seized a large cache of drugs worth Rs 24.76 billion. They added that they had arrested seven persons and impounded four vehicles during the crackdowns as well. The seized drugs included 5,793.5kgs of opium, 2,246.3kgs of heroin and 1,511.2kgs of hashish.

In Quetta, the ANF carried out three separate intelligence-based operations in Qilla Abdullah and Panjgur. They seized around 9.5 tonnes of drugs.

A man identified as Muhammad Ilyas, a resident of Attock, was arrested by the Rawalpindi ANF near Punjab College, Jand. They seized 1.2kgs of hashish from him.

In another operation, the Rawalpindi ANF intercepted a Suzuki Bolan near the Railway Phatak in Attock and seized 1.2kgs of hashish and 500 grams of opium. A man identified as Waris Khan, resident of Charsadda, was also arrested during the operation.

The ANF staff intercepted a car and a motorcycle near Choras Tank Green Town, Lahore and seized 2.4kgs of hashish from the vehicle. Two people — Naveed Khan, a resident of Kohat, and Muhammad Sajid Khan, a resident of Lahore — were taken into custody.

Meanwhile, the Lahore ANF seized two kilogrammes of hashish from a man identified as Mumtaz, a resident of Mardan, near Jamia Masjid, Sargodha Road in Faisalabad.

The Peshawar ANF seized 300 grams of heroin from Behram Khan, a resident of Khyber Agency, when he was travelling in a passenger wagon. He was arrested near the Motorway Toll Plaza. In another operation, the Peshawar ANF seized 4.4kgs of hashish from the possession of Mukhtiar Ahmed, a resident of Muzaffargarh.

All cases have been registered at the ANF police stations and further investigations are under way.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2017