KABUL, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan law enforcement agencies have sentenced 27 individuals in connection with drug-related crimes to jail terms ranging from one year and six months to 18 years in the past week, the Counter-Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force said in the statement Tuesday.
Counter Narcotics Police and detective security organization also seized 1 kg of heroin, 61 kg of morphine, over 547 kg of opium, 415 kg of hashish, 414 kg of methamphetamine and 78 kg of chemical substance, as well as 1,000 U.S. dollars in cash from different provinces of the country.
In 2018, some 6,400 tons of opium were produced in Afghanistan, particularly in western and southern parts of the country where government security forces have little presence, compared with 9,000 tons in 2017, according to Afghan officials.
The decrease in opium production was attributed to the reduction in poppy cultivation, the destruction in poppy fields and drought, officials said.
