3rd Afghan Border Police seize over 35,000 pounds of ammonium chloride

Photo By Sgt. Scott Matheson | ABP personnel uncover a hidden stash of nearly 18 tons of ammonium chloride in a truck at the Weesh border crossing checkpoint in southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The chemical, which is banned for import into Afghanistan, is a common ingredient used by insurgents to manufacture heroin, which funds their operations. (U.S. Army photo)  

SPIN BOLDAK, AFGHANISTAN

05.09.2012

Story by Maj. Anthony Crumbey 

504th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan – Afghan Border Police seized more than 35,000 pounds of ammonium chloride, a crucial component in the manufacture of illicit narcotics, during a routine customs inspection at the Weesh border crossing in Kandahar’s southern Spin Boldak district, May 9.

3rd Afghan Border Police and Soldiers partnered with Alpha Troop, 2nd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade discovered the chemical while searching a vehicle which was attempting to enter Afghanistan from Pakistan. The truck transporting the ammonium chloride was laden to capacity with watermelons, but further inspection revealed that beneath the melons and a layer of straw, more than 300 bags of the chemical precursor were intermixed with several bags of flour.

Because of its use in creating heroin, a primary source of funding for the insurgency, ammonium chloride has been banned for import into Afghanistan. As a result, insurgents and criminal networks have resorted to smuggling the substance into the country.

• Date Taken: 05.09.2012
• Date Posted: 05.14.2012 15:29
• Story ID: 88411
• Location: SPIN BOLDAK, AF