The Taliban announced on Wednesday, August 20, that it had prevented the smuggling of 249 kilograms of opium in separate operations in the provinces of Takhar and Zabul. According to the group, three individuals were arrested in connection with the cases.
In a statement, the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior reported that 160 kilograms of opium were discovered in the Khataiyan area of Taloqan city, hidden “skillfully” inside a vehicle. One person was arrested at the scene.
In a separate operation along the Kabul–Kandahar highway in Shah Joy district of Zabul, Taliban forces detained two individuals accused of concealing 89 kilograms of opium in their vehicle.
These announcements come just one day after Uzbekistan’s State Security Service reported the arrest of two individuals for purchasing narcotics from Afghan traffickers and distributing them in the Fergana region. Authorities seized 5.878 kilograms of opium and 3.922 kilograms of hashish smuggled from Afghanistan.
Despite the Taliban’s frequent claims of anti-narcotics operations, the group faces ongoing allegations of involvement in the cultivation and trafficking of drugs. A report by The Diplomat last year noted that amid a deepening economic crisis and the loss of international aid, the Taliban had eased its enforcement against opium production and adopted a softer stance on drug cultivation.
