Over 5,000 drug traffickers arrested in past year: officials

A total of 5,051 individuals have been arrested on drug trafficking charges in the past year, Interior Ministry officials said on Saturday.

Mohammadullah Ahmadi, the operational director of the counter-narcotics department of the Interior Ministry, told a conference that those arrested also included four foreign nationals.

In addition, more than 500 tons of various drugs and drug utensils as well as alcoholic drinks were seized and 170 drug and alcohol production and processing factories were destroyed.

Thousands of drug addicts have also been rounded up, the official said.

Meanwhile, Hayatullah Mohajer Farahi, deputy minister of information and culture, emphasized that jobs should be created for drug addicts who have recovered.

Deputy Minister of Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice Abdul Rahman Munir said that it is necessary for the relevant institutions in the country to prevent the cultivation of poppies and stop the production of narcotics. He added that the fight against drugs is a “Sharia” matter.