£17.5m drugs haul seized in Helmand raid 07.12.11
2British troops and Afghan police have discovered one of the biggest drug hauls in Helmand - nearly a fifth of a tonne of raw opium with a street value of £17.5 million. The drugs were found in Gereshk when Afghan police, mentored by a team from the First Battalion, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, raided the home of a local government official suspected of profiting from illegal land sales. Hidden beneath a trapdoor they found 175 kilos of opium along with a cache of weapons including machine guns, grenade launchers and bomb-making equipment. Lieutenant Paul Charlesworth, of 1 PWRR, who commands the police mentoring team at Gereshk described the operation. "Once we got to the compound we quickly realised this was a really significant find. We started to see all the weapons coming out, all the ammunition, the ANSF uniforms, and then the opium, and called in provincial-level counter-narcotics team. "This is the largest drugs find that I've ever been involved in, and the biggest that ISAF forces have been involved in since we arrived in September." One arrest was made and Task Force Helmand spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Mackenzie said seizing arms and drugs was just part of the success. "What's more important is that the guy involved is a bit of a local bigwig," he told BFBS Radio. "But still his status didn't stop the Afghan police from nabbing him. And that's another sign that the tide is turning not just against the insurgency, but against corrupt officials." British troops who are advising on local law enforcement described it as a victory for joined-up police work.