KABUL (PAN): Six people including two government officials have been convicted of narcotics offences, the Appeal Court of the Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) said on Thursday.

A commander and a soldier of the Afghan National Army (ANA) were arrested for facilitating the illicit drug trade in the country. Both were convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment.

The ANA officials were detained by the security forces in the central province of Maidan Wardak, the CJTF Appeal Court said in a statement mailed to Pajhwok Afghan News.

It added a farmer from Farah province -- arrested in Nimroz for trafficking 12 kg of heroin -- was convicted and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment and fined one million and 10 thousand Afghanis.

Two men from Kunduz, held with two kilos of heroin, were convicted and sentenced to eight years imprisonment and fined seven hundred thousand afghanis. They were arrested by the Counter-Narcotics Special Forces of Baghlan province.

Similarly, a driver from Kapisa was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and fined seven hundred thousand afghanis for trafficking more than 28 kilos of opium.

In the first quarter of the current Islamic year, 95 people were sent to the CJTF following arrests for drug-related offences. The primary court convicted 82 people and the Appeal Court convicted 136 on drug-related charges.

A total of 41 people were acquitted by the CJTF/Counter Narcotics Tribunal for lack of evidence.

mud/pr