KABUL, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan police have arrested 21 drug traffickers within seven days as the conflict-hit country struggled to fight narcotics, authorities said Tuesday.
"During the past seven days, the Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan and detective security organization arrested 21 people, on suspicion of transportation of drugs and illegal narcotics from Kabul, Nangarhar, Heart, Kandahar, Nimroz, Paktia, Faryab, Balkh and Ghor provinces," Counter-Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force of Afghanistan said in a statement.
Police also confiscated 127 kg of heroin, 65 kg of opium, 1,469 kg of hashish, 12 kg methamphetamine, more than 3,000 U.S. dollars cash, 23 mobile phones, four rounds of ammunition and four vehicles from the arrested, according to the statement.
The 19 cases were sent to the Central Narcotics Tribunal (CNT), a special Afghan court for jurisdiction of major drug cases, for further investigation, the statement added.
The CNT's primary and appellate courts have sentenced up to 26 suspects involved in 21 drug-related cases from three years to 17 years in jail over the period, according to the statement.
