8am: Reliable sources describe the situation of prisoners in Taliban prisons in Herat province as shocking. According to them, in this prison, in addition to the buying and selling of narcotics, some imprisoned children are also subjected to sexual abuse by Taliban members, while children over seven years old are held in this prison on
Afghanistan International: Following the Taliban’s official ban on opium cultivation and trafficking, some Taliban officials and drug smugglers have turned to producing methamphetamine, locally known as shisha, derived from the ephedra plant, known in Afghanistan simply as ephedra. An investigation by Afghanistan International indicates that certain Taliban figures are directly involved in the ephedra trade.
Khaama: Tajikistan authorities have reported ten armed confrontations with drug traffickers along the Afghanistan border during the first half of this year, marking a significant increase compared to the same period last year. Authorities in Tajikistan have consistently expressed concern about the presence of terrorist groups and drug trafficking networks operating from Afghanistan territory. These
8am: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has estimated that opiate trafficking, primarily heroin, from Afghanistan through Central Asia to Russia generates approximately $10 billion in gross annual revenue. The report, released on Thursday, June 26, 2025, draws on data from 2022 and 2023, identifying Afghanistan as a primary hub for narcotics
Khaama: Mohammad Narimani, Director General of the International Relations Office of Iran’s Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, has stated that drug trafficking from Afghanistan warehouses to Iran and other countries continues unabated. According to Narimani, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Russia remain on the frontline in combating narcotics trafficking originating from Afghanistan. Afghanistan continues to be the world’s largest
8am: The United Nations has reported in a recent assessment that the price of one kilogram of opium in Afghanistan has increased tenfold compared to previous years. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) stated in its report that following the Taliban’s ban on opium cultivation, the price of this substance has sharply risen,
Amu: More than two years after the Taliban’s 2022 ban on narcotics, poppy cultivation levels in Afghanistan remain historically low, but opium continues to be grown, cultivated, and sold in some areas, according to a new report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). SIGAR also noted that while Afghanistan has seen
Afghanistan International: The US Department of Justice announced that it has sentenced Abdul Sattar Barakzai, 59, to 30 years in prison for “participating in narcoterrorism for the benefit of the Taliban and the Haqqani Network.” Barakzai is also charged with importing heroin into New York and forging documents. He was found guilty after a two-week
Afghanistan International: Andrés Efren Montalvo Sosa, head of the UN Sanctions Committee said on Thursday (December 12) that a number of key Taliban officials are complicit in drug cartels and production and trafficking networks. However, according to Sosa, the Taliban leadership encourages ordinary Afghan farmers to cultivate alternatives. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, claimed that the production of methamphetamine in Afghanistan has increased significantly, which he considers a threat to Iran, the region, and the world. Momeni added that closing the border with Afghanistan is part of an effort aimed at preventing illegal entry and drug trafficking. The Iranian Interior Minister