KABUL, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Afghan counter-narcotics police have arrested 31 suspected drug smugglers and seized 258 kg of illicit drugs during operations across several provinces, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in separate statements on Thursday.

The seized contraband included 194 kg of opium, 35 kg of hashish, and 29 kg of methamphetamine. Operations were conducted in the western province of Herat and the northern provinces of Kunduz and Baghlan, where four individuals were detained, according to the ministry.

Separately, in a series of counter-narcotics operations conducted in the capital Kabul, police arrested 27 suspects accused of involvement in the sale, purchase, and smuggling of illicit drugs.

The Afghan government has banned poppy cultivation, drug production, and trafficking, vowing to continue its crackdown until the country, once a leading global source of opium, becomes drug-free. Enditem