An army general has been arrested for trafficking some 19 kilograms of heroin in the northern Afghan Province of Baghlan.
Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said Brigadier General Abdul Samad Habib was taken into custody in the province on June 30 as he attempted to smuggle the illegal drug with his vehicle.
"I confirm he is in custody and is accused of trafficking heroin," Waziri told AFP.
The brigadier general commanded a recruitment center in Balkh Province.
Provincial police spokesman Ahmad Jawed Basharat said he was "planning to get the heroin to Nangarhar Province near the border with Pakistan and then smuggle it out of the country."
Basharat said two other military personnel, a driver and another soldier, were also detained.
Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium, which is refined to produce heroin.