K-P police arrest Afghan national trying to smuggle crystal meth

One gram of 'Ice' costs between Rs3,000 and Rs4,000 to buyers in the the Pakistani market

PESHAWAR: Police arrested an Afghan national at a checkpoint in Peshawar on Sunday for trying to smuggle around 1kg of methamphetamine, colloquially known as Ice or Meth.

He was nabbed en route from Afghanistan to Peshawar on Canal Road.

SSP Operations Peshawar Sajjad Khan said the police intercepted a vehicle after they were tipped off that the drug was being transported in it.

A police handout read, "“The accused belongs to Afghanistan’s Jalalabad province and currently lives in Peshawar’s Karkhano Market. He has been arrested while Ice of 1,040 grams has been recovered from his vehicle bearing registration number LEC2753.”

Some reports estimate that one gram of Ice costs between Rs3,000 and Rs4,000 to buyers in the Pakistani market.

The accused has confessed to supplying ice to a local supplier in Peshawar, the handout further stated.



The police also fear the accused was involved in terror activities in the country.

To investigate further, a physical remand of the accused from a court will be sought.

The use of Ice has become is a serious issue in the region with users abusing the drug to attain a high of four days.

Lawmakers of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s provincial assembly also raised the issue during its session to combat the spread of the menace.

A member of the assembly from the Pakistan People's Party in the same session tabled a resolution to formulate laws counter the use of the heinous drug.

It is pertinent to mention that currently there are no proper clauses in the anti-narcotics law under which the accused could be tried.