Afghan Forces Dismantle Eight Heroin Labs in Ghor, Arrest 17 Suspected Drug Traffickers

November 1, 2026

Kabul: Afghan security forces have dismantled eight clandestine heroin-processing laboratories and arrested 17 suspected drug traffickers during a counter-narcotics operation in western Afghanistan’s Ghor province, local police officials said on Sunday, November 1.

The operation was conducted on the outskirts of Chaharsada district following intelligence inputs and a tip-off. Counter-narcotics units raided the facilities, destroyed the laboratories and seized substantial quantities of precursor chemicals and narcotic substances used in heroin production.

Ghor provincial police spokesperson Mawlawi Abdul Rahman Badri said the 17 suspects had been taken into custody and transferred to judicial authorities. Their case files have also been submitted for further legal proceedings.

Afghanistan Steps Up Nationwide Anti-Drug Operations

The operation is part of an intensified campaign by Afghan authorities to dismantle drug production and trafficking networks across the country.

In a separate operation in western Farah province, police publicly destroyed nearly one tonne of seized narcotics on October 18. The confiscated substances included 955 kg of opium-type drugs and 36 kg of methamphetamine, along with hashish.

Police also arrested a suspected drug trafficker in connection with the case.

In southern Helmand province, counter-narcotics police seized 136 kg of opium-type drugs from two vehicles in Sangin district on October 15 and detained three suspected smugglers.

Meanwhile, authorities in western Herat province reported the destruction of 161 tonnes of assorted illicit narcotics recovered during a year-long campaign. The substances had been seized in operations conducted in Herat city and various districts.

UN Reports Sharp Rise in Afghanistan’s Opium Cultivation

The latest crackdown comes amid renewed concerns over Afghanistan’s narcotics industry. A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) survey released on October 29 estimated that opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan increased by 330 per cent in 2026 compared with the previous year.

The area under cultivation rose to approximately 43,300 hectares from around 10,000 hectares in 2025. Estimated opium production also increased by 400 per cent to nearly 1,500 tonnes, compared with approximately 300 tonnes a year earlier.

The UN said worsening poverty and the lack of alternative sources of income have pushed some farmers back towards poppy cultivation, with certain fields reportedly concealed among cereal crops and inside enclosed compounds.

Afghan authorities have disputed the UN findings. The Taliban administration has said its counter-narcotics campaign has resulted in the eradication of more than 26,000 hectares of narcotic crops in 2026.

At a meeting in Kabul on October 27, Afghan counter-narcotics officials also reported that 25,116 operations had been conducted during the year, resulting in the arrest of 10,065 suspects and the closure of 301 drug-processing laboratories.

The latest operation in Ghor highlights the continuing efforts to target heroin production facilities and trafficking networks. However, the sharp increase in cultivation and production estimated by the UN points to the wider challenges facing Afghanistan’s campaign against the illicit drug trade.