Kabul, Jan 14 (IANS): Police have uncovered 43 kg of illicit drugs in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province and detained an individual on the charge of involvement in drug trafficking from the area, provincial police spokesman Tahir Ehrar said on Tuesday.

The contraband, including 43 kg hashish and a piece of AK-47, was discovered outside the provincial capital, Khost city, on Sunday, the official said, adding police have arrested one drug smuggler.

Police won't allow anyone to produce or smuggle hashish, poppy or the objects used in manufacturing heroin in the province, the official said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on January 11, counter-narcotics police uncovered 64 kg of illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, and arrested 17 suspected drug smugglers in two provinces of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.

The contraband, which included 43 kg of methamphetamine and 21 kg of hashish, was seized during separate routine operations conducted by police in the outskirts of eastern Nangarhar and northern Kunduz provinces, the statement said.

The statement, without disclosing the exact timing of these events, mentioned that 10 individuals were arrested on charges of drug trafficking and purchasing in Nangarhar, while seven others were arrested in connection with drug smuggling in Kunduz.

Afghanistan's counter-narcotics police had on December 30 also arrested 12 people on charges of drug smuggling across seven out of Afghanistan's 34 provinces.

The individuals were allegedly involved in the sale, purchase, and smuggling of contraband in the outskirts of Laghman, Bamyan, Kapisa, Parwan, Kunduz, Herat, and Farah provinces.

A huge quantity of illicit drugs, including opium, hashish, and stimulant tablets, was seized from the detainees, and their dossiers were referred to the judiciary for further investigation.

The Afghan caretaker government, which had banned poppy cultivation, processing of drugs, and drug trafficking, has vowed to fight the menace until the once-poppy-growing country becomes a drug-free nation.