Pakistanis Seize 40 Tons Of Hashish

Sixty soldiers backed by helicopter gunships seized 40 tons of hashish from a camel caravan headed toward the Arabian Sea, but the smugglers escaped into the mountains.

One helicopter was damaged slightly by small-arms fire when the smugglers, armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, fired on the soldiers during Saturday’s raid, Brig. Mohammed Aslam said.

During the raid in southwest Pakistan, the smugglers dumped the hashish and fled with most of the 200 camels, said Aslam.

Drug lords routinely use tribesmen familiar with camel paths that cross the southwestern province of Baluchistan and lead to the Arabian Sea. After reaching port, the drugs are shipped to Europe and the United States.