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Afghan Police Chief Jailed for Drug Smuggling

   VOA News 03 August 2010

   An  Afghan  court  has  sentenced a former senior police officer to 10
   years in prison for helping traffickers smuggle drugs from Afghanistan
   to Iran.
   The  jury  found  Commander  General  Malham  Khan  guilty  Tuesday of
   cooperating  with  drug  dealers  and  receiving bribes.  He was also
   fined $14,000.
   Authorities  arrested  the  general,  who  was  in  charge  of  Afghan
   provinces  bordering  Turkmenistan and Iran, earlier this year.  Khan
   has denied all charges against him.
   The  prosecution's  evidence  was based on the testimony of two police
   officers who worked with the general.
   Afghanistan  is  the  world's  leading  producer  of  poppies, the raw
   material  for  opium and heroin.  The country's multi-million- dollar
   drug  trade  is  seen  to  be  aiding  the  Taliban-led insurgency and
   encouraging corruption.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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