Kiwi cops bust Afghani opium

NZ Police recently serving in Afghanistan helped secure a significant drug and weapons bust in late October, shortly before returning home.

And a new rotation of police into the Bamiyan province helped oversee the drug’s destruction on 1 November.

“Following two weeks of mentoring a drug operation we hit pay dirt,” says Inspector Dave Lawry, who is now back in New Zealand as Area Commander Southern Area, Canterbury District.

“The Afghanistan National Police (ANP) seized 1082.19 kg of raw opium and two PK machine guns. It was a very big haul.

“I had been helping Colonel Namatullah, the Head of Narcotics in Bamiyan with the operation as well as Colonel Rahman, the Deputy Chief of Police.”

Dave says they used elements of the newly trained ready reaction group, after receiving intel about the shipment being transited through Bamiyan from neighboring Samangan province.

The bust came after several months of NZ Police working closely with the ANP to build their capability to get them to a point where they were operationally effective.

“Rebuilding the capability and capacity of local police was a key part of our work,” says Dave.

The seizure was carried out on a remote road in Yakawalang, with 12 ANP involved in intercepting three smugglers and the vehicle in which the sacks of drugs were hidden.

Inquiries are continuing and two people were in custody when Dave left.
The opium was destroyed by New Zealand military and police personnel, including Superintendent John Kelly, Hamilton, who had recently arrived in Afghanistan to take up his role of mentor to the Afghan National Police when the opium was discovered. 

John was somewhat taken aback by the large quantity.

“It’s certainly the biggest haul I’ve seen in my career and is a bit different from the average couple of pounds of cannabis you might turn over back home.”