The Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Sindh
recovered 948.8 kilograms of heroin, registered 201 cases against suspects and arrested
176 of them in the year 2007.
Brig Faizul Karim Burki, Force Commander ANF (Sindh), informed the media at ANF office that the number of drug
addicts was rising in Pakistan and with the addition of one million people in the year 2007 alone it has touched the mark of five million. He said that ANF Sindh also
recovered 6761.2 kg hashish, 3.17 kg opium, 0.229 kg cocaine, 1,10,000 ecstasy pills and 1,000 injections last year.
The ANF apprehended 89 suspects, including 66 foreigners, while carrying drug-filled capsules in their body cavities and stomach. Some 77.9 kg of heroin was recovered and 43 cases were lodged against them. During the year 2007, the properties of drug traffickers worth 22.858 billion rupees were confiscated by the narcotics courts, he added.
Burki further said that ANF was working in different fields like mounting vigil on drug smuggling as well as rehabilitation of addicts in collaboration with NGOs. For the first time that no Pakistani Hajj pilgrim was arrested by Saudi Arabian government last year on the charges of drug smuggling, he said.
He observed that Punjab tops the number of drug addicts in Pakistan, followed by Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP. Brig Burki said that 74 drug-related cases were decided last year and 66 persons, including 28 foreigners, were convicted, while 20 accused were acquitted.