Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
British and Afghan counter-narcotics officers have found and destroyed a massive stockpile of 237 tonnes of hashish with a wholesale value of £205 million.
The Afghan National Police Special Task Force received a tip-off on Monday morning about a possible drugs hoard some 25 miles from the border with Pakistan in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar Province.
The task force found the drugs cache hidden in three trenches.
"There was a recce to the site to get a grip on how large the cache was," said an ISAF spokesman. "Then, in the evening, they set it on fire. Most of those involved in the breakthrough were on the Afghan side but there were British troops too since the UK is focused on counter-narcotics."
By the evening they had burned all 236.8 metric tonnes of hashish.
"The growing season is over and the trading season is just getting going," said the spokesman. He added that there had been an increase in hashish trading following the anti-opi*m policy.
“The Afghan National Police Special Task Force has made a huge step forward in proving its capability in curbing the tide of illegal drug trade in this country."
The hashish weighed approximately the same as 30 double-decker buses. ISAF officials estimate the Taliban would have pocketed around £7 million from the sale of the drugs.
“We, here at the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, note the continuing improvements and professionalism of our Afghanistan National Police,” said Lieutenant General Ab-Hadi Khalid, Afghan Deputy Interior Minister.
“It is due to the education and training they are receiving through the help of the international community.”
“The international community will continue to support the Afghan forces with more of the same training and support that helped them achieve such success in this mission,” said General McKiernan.
NATO-led and British forces called the incident the biggest narcotics haul in history.
*some content has been edited
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Times Online
Copyright: 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.
Contact: Contact Us | Times Online
Website: Afghan drugs officers burn £205 million cache of hashish - Times Online
The Afghan National Police Special Task Force received a tip-off on Monday morning about a possible drugs hoard some 25 miles from the border with Pakistan in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar Province.
The task force found the drugs cache hidden in three trenches.
"There was a recce to the site to get a grip on how large the cache was," said an ISAF spokesman. "Then, in the evening, they set it on fire. Most of those involved in the breakthrough were on the Afghan side but there were British troops too since the UK is focused on counter-narcotics."
By the evening they had burned all 236.8 metric tonnes of hashish.
"The growing season is over and the trading season is just getting going," said the spokesman. He added that there had been an increase in hashish trading following the anti-opi*m policy.
“The Afghan National Police Special Task Force has made a huge step forward in proving its capability in curbing the tide of illegal drug trade in this country."
The hashish weighed approximately the same as 30 double-decker buses. ISAF officials estimate the Taliban would have pocketed around £7 million from the sale of the drugs.
“We, here at the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, note the continuing improvements and professionalism of our Afghanistan National Police,” said Lieutenant General Ab-Hadi Khalid, Afghan Deputy Interior Minister.
“It is due to the education and training they are receiving through the help of the international community.”
“The international community will continue to support the Afghan forces with more of the same training and support that helped them achieve such success in this mission,” said General McKiernan.
NATO-led and British forces called the incident the biggest narcotics haul in history.
*some content has been edited
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Times Online
Copyright: 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.
Contact: Contact Us | Times Online
Website: Afghan drugs officers burn £205 million cache of hashish - Times Online
