Pakistani authorities seize 1,000 Kg of drugs

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistani authorities on Monday said they seized 1,000 kilograms (2,204 pounds) of drugs in an operation in southwestern Balochistan province.

The drugs worth $11.29 million in the open market were recovered following a raid at a compound on the outskirts of Pasni town, said a statement by the Pakistan Coast Guards.

A video released by the coast guards showed personnel standing behind a sack of “drug-filled” bags recovered during the raid.

The seized drugs were supposed to be smuggled into European market via a sea route, the statement added.

This is the third largest drug recovery by the Pakistani authorities this year. In March, the coast guards had seized over 8,000 kilograms (1,7636 pounds) of drugs worth over $90 million in the open market.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Pakistan is the destination and transit country for approximately 40 percent of the opium produced in neighboring Afghanistan.

Mineral-rich Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is said to be a key transit point for drug trafficking between the two countries. The route is also notorious for smuggling of Iranian petroleum products.

Scores of small mobile laboratories have reportedly been operating in lawless Pak-Afghan border for opium processing, according to the UNODC.