The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has expressed grave concern over the growing involvement of students in drug trafficking, warning that anti-national elements are exploiting youth in educational institutions for their nefarious activities.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Monday, ANF Director Syed Sijjeel Haider pointed out that the use of children and women in drug smuggling poses a significant threat to the country’s social, moral, and economic fabric.
"Anti-national elements are using not just college and university students but even school children in this heinous game," he said.
He further added that many young people who go abroad for education and employment are being exploited as drug carriers, resulting in strained diplomatic ties and tarnishing the country’s international reputation.
Sharing the statistics of ANF’s operations in 2024, Mr Haider revealed that the force had seized 113,798 kilograms of drugs in various operations, with an estimated $6.5 billion in the international market.
The ANF director added that 1,406 individuals, including 116 women and 44 foreign nationals, were arrested during these operations. Tragically, three ANF personnel lost their lives while performing their duties.
In a bid to curb drug addiction, Haider mentioned that 2,031 addicts were rehabilitated this year in ANF-run centers across Karachi, where they are now living drug-free lives.
He further informed that the ANF conducted 5,500 awareness sessions in schools, colleges, and universities as part of its ongoing public awareness campaign against drug abuse.
Highlighting some of the key operations, Haider said that on August 4, the ANF seized 88 kilograms of hashish and 34 kilograms of opium near Kot Abdul Malik, Lahore. On August 6, an operation near the Northern Bypass in Peshawar led to the recovery of 52 kilograms of opium and 61 kilograms of hashish. Similarly, in Karachi on August 10, 30 kilograms of ice were confiscated.
Haider also provided details of operations conducted in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the recovery of 24 kilograms of hashish and ice in Quetta on August 15, and 40 kilograms of hashish near Hub on August 14. Furthermore, 52 kilograms of heroin and 51 kilograms of morphine were seized during an operation in Chaman on August 24.
In another notable operation near Islamabad on August 20, ANF officers recovered 14 kilograms of opium and 45 kilograms of hashish. During an operation at the Motray Toll Plaza on September 4, 17 kilograms of opium and 13 kilograms of hashish were seized.
He stressed that drug interdiction remains one of ANF’s highest priorities, particularly as seizures of ice, produced primarily in neighboring countries, have surged from two and a half tons in 2017 to nearly 30 tons in 2023.
