KABUL, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of 55 drug-related cases were exposed in Afghanistan within the past one month, authorities said on Tuesday.

"The Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) together with detective Afghan security organization have cracked 55 drug cases, involving 73 people, including three women during the Afghan month of Jaddi (Dec. 22 to Jan. 20) elsewhere in the country," Counter-Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force of Afghanistan (CJTF) said in a statement.

Among the suspects were two from employees of public service and one foreigner.

The cases were handed over to the Central Narcotics Tribunal (CNT), a special Afghan court for jurisdiction of major drug cases, the statement noted.

Huge drugs and ban-chemical materials were also confiscated over the period, the statement noted.

In addition, an appellant court of the CNT has sentenced 27 defendants to different ranges of imprisonment and one person was cleared by the court due to lack of evidence over the period, the statement said.