50kg of heroin seized by Afghan Special Security Forces in Helmand

AFGHANISTAN

12.03.2017

Courtesy Story

NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan

Afghan Special Security Forces seized 50kg of black tar heroin during multiple night raids in Sangin district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Dec. 2-3, 2017. ASSF operations targeting the Taliban’s narcotics trade in Helmand removed $4.6 million worth of heroin and heroin precursors from the insurgent network.

Once considered to have ambitions to govern Afghanistan, the Taliban have devolved into a criminal narco-trafficking enterprise. The Taliban violently asserts control of poppy harvesting, opium extraction, and processing of opium into heroin. In Helmand alone, the Taliban’s narco-activities result in the production of 40% of the world’s opium.

The Taliban attack Afghan legitimate source of authority in Afghanistan, targeting police checkpoints and headquarters, to facilitate their activities. The ASSF have responded to these actions with offensive operations and an aggressive counter-narcotics campaign to degrade the insurgent group’s leadership and cripple its revenue streams.

• Date Taken: 12.03.2017
• Date Posted: 12.06.2017 11:55
• Story ID: 257479
• Location: AF