Kabul, Nov 2 — Afghan authorities on Monday destroyed about 1,000 tonnes of expired and substandard medicines and cosmetics in southern Kandahar province, which had been seized as illicit imports over the past 18 months, a senior customs official said.
The confiscated products, valued at more than 20 million US dollars, had accumulated at border crossing points across the province after being illegally imported, according to Mawlawi Mansoorul Haq Zakir, head of Kandahar Customs.
Officials described the goods as outdated, low-quality and below national quality standards, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The destruction forms part of intensified efforts to safeguard public health and enforce quality controls across the country.
In October, Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health said that health authorities in northern Afghanistan's Balkh province destroyed 142 tonnes of expired and substandard medicines and food products collected over the past year.
The items were seized during systematic inspections of private healthcare facilities and food outlets across the province, the statement said.
Local officials confirmed that surveillance and enforcement activities will continue uninterrupted, emphasising that the sale of expired, substandard, or unauthorised medicines and food products will not be tolerated.
The operation forms part of wider efforts by Afghan public health authorities to protect consumer safety and maintain quality standards in the pharmaceutical and food sectors amid ongoing challenges in regulatory oversight.
In September, Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health destroyed around 1,290 tons of expired, substandard, and illegal medicines, food items, and health products over the past year, according to a ministry spokesman.
The expired, substandard, and illegal medicines, food items, and health products were collected from pharmacies, drugstores, supermarkets, and shops across various parts of Kabul and other provinces, according to a post by Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesman for the ministry, on his X account.