Kabul, Oct 19 (IANS): Afghan police have arrested 20 drug smugglers and 26 criminal suspects across the country, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said on Saturday.

Police conducted operations on the outskirts of Kabul city and in Paghman district, west of Kabul, arresting 20 drug smugglers and discovering methamphetamine, opium and hashish, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said that police have apprehended 26 people on the charge of involvement in criminal activities, including murder and theft, in the provinces of Samangan, Nimroz, Bamiyan, Ghazni, Jawzjan, Herat and Balkh, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on October 14, Afghan counter-narcotics police demolished three drug processing labs and arrested 38 suspects for involvement in the drug business in six of Afghanistan's 34 provinces.

The police conducted operations on the outskirts of Firoz Koah City, the provincial capital and in Dawlat Yar district of the western Ghor province, discovering and destroying three drug labs.

Afghan authorities have intensified their crackdown on illicit drugs and related crimes. Security personnel have recently arrested 38 alleged drug smugglers in Kabul, Parwan, Khost, Nimroz, and Paktika provinces, according to the ministry.

The Afghan caretaker government has vowed to crack down on criminal elements to ensure law and order in the country.