Pakistani authorities have arrested at least 20 Nigerian nationals in a crackdown on drug trafficking in two cities, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

In a statement, the Pakistani Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) said the raids were conducted on Thursday, with more than four kilogrammes of narcotics seized during the operation.

“The arrested suspects were associated with an organised drug trafficking network allegedly involved in the smuggling, distribution and sale of cocaine, ice, and weed among youth, particularly students of educational institutions in Islamabad and Rawalpindi,” the ANF said.

It added, “The recovered drugs comprised 1.682 kg of cocaine, 2 kg of methamphetamine (Ice) and 750 grams of weed.”

The anti-narcotics agency said preliminary investigations showed that two of the arrested Nigerians were already on bail in a previous narcotics case.

According to the ANF, the arrests followed a series of intelligence-gathering operations targeting drug dealers in the country. It added that investigations were ongoing to identify others involved in drug trafficking across Pakistan.

“ANF has expanded the scope of its investigations to identify potential facilitators, sources of narcotics supply, financial supporters, local contacts and possible connections with other drug trafficking organisations,” the anti-narcotics agency said.