1,338 drug traffickers including 27 foreigners rounded up in 2017: ANF

RAWALPINDI (APP): Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), the prime drug law enforcement agency of Pakistan, in its countrywide operations in 2017 rounded up 1,338 drug traffickers including 27 foreigners, besides recovering 164.07 metric tons of drugs and 56.358 metric tons of prohibited chemicals.

According to an ANF spokesperson, the agency also busted nine domestic and an international drug trafficking organisation while registering 1,172 cases during the year.

Among the seized drugs were 32,574.1 kg opium, 7,132.2 kg morphine, 19,754.6 kg heroin, 102,113.193 kg hashish, 387.089 kg cocaine, 57.07 kg cannabis, 1,891.517 kg amphetamine, 39.937 kg methamphetamine and 23.368 kg ecstasy tablets. Prohibited chemicals included 917.5 litre acetic anhydride, 50,594.8 litre sulfuric acid, 4,130 litre hydrochloric acid and 715 litre acetone.

ANF also destroyed 385.265 metric tons of narcotics in total in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and Quetta during the year, he added.

The agency carried out 364 awareness and drug abuse prevention activities during the year across the country, in an attempt to raise awareness among the masses about the hazards of drugs with a special focus on educational institutions.

These activities included seminars, lectures, awareness walks, sports events, tableaus, essay competitions, free medical camps, advertisements in print and electronic media and distribution of informational materials.

ANF is also expanding its Drug Treatment Facility to 178 more beds in Karachi, Sukkur and Peshawar including establishment of 48 bedded female and juvenile Drug Treatment Wards within existing MATRC Karachi, in addition to current 145 bedded Drug Treatment facilities in Islamabad, Quetta and Karachi.

During 2017, the agency also provided free of cost drug treatment to 900 drug addicts at its Drug Treatment Centres, the spokesperson noted.

It arranged 23 different training courses at ANF Academy during the year, wherein 1,943 officers and officials of ANF as well as other Law Enforcement Agencies were imparted professional training.

The agency has also up-graded ANF Baluchistan with regards to deployment, intelligence ability, technical capability and mobility, with a special focus on Gwadar in view of the CPEC, he added.