Kabul, Nov 12 (IANS): Counter-narcotics police in Afghanistan have seized illicit drugs and arrested 53 people on the charge of involvement in criminal activities, including drug smugglers and murders.

Units of counter-narcotic police launched separate operations on the outskirts of southern Kandahar province, discovering 129 kg of illegal drugs, including heroin, opium and hashish, the office of provincial police said in a statement on Tuesday.

Nine individuals were arrested in connection with the drug trafficking, purchase and sales. Their dossiers were referred to the judiciary for further investigation, the statement added, Xinhua news agency reported.

Additionally, police have taken into custody 44 suspects on the charge of involvement in criminal activities such as murder and theft in the provinces of Nangarhar, Balkh, Laghman, Farah, Baghlan, Herat, and Nangarhar, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Afghan caretaker government has vowed to fight illicit drugs, drug production and trafficking, as well as crackdown on other criminal elements, to ensure law and order across the country.