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
8am: Over the past three years, the Taliban have repeatedly claimed to have eradicated drugs and tobacco in the country. However, findings from Herat province by Hasht-e Subh Daily reveal an increase in the buying and selling of hashish, with the market for hashish sellers thriving. This is despite a decree by Hibatullah Akhundzada banning
Hindustan Times: Afghanistan continues to have massive stockpiles of opium that can be used to meet the needs of narcotics trafficking networks despite a ban imposed by the Taliban on poppy cultivation, according to a new report by the United Nations Security Council. A majority of drugs trafficked to India comes from Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s
By Rahim Gul Sarwan, Anne Ball VOA News June 27, 2024 WASHINGTON — Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan was down sharply last year, according to the United Nations and private sources, but the plants are being grown in most provinces despite a ban imposed by the Taliban. Some areas grow more than others. According to sources
Afghanistan International:Iraj Kakavand, the head of Iran’s anti-narcotics police, debunked the Taliban’s claims of diminishing drug production in Afghanistan by revealing the seizure of over 662 tons of various drugs within Iran in 2023 and the early months of 2024. Speaking at the BRICS Anti-Drug Working Group meeting in Moscow on Thursday, Kakavand highlighted the
Afghanistan International: Mohammad Reza Kazemi, Iran’s Deputy Head of the Drug Control Headquarters, said that there is still no documented evidence of a reduction in drug production in Afghanistan. Kazemi pointed out that the activities of smugglers in the region indicate that there hasn’t been any significant decrease in drug production. In April 2022, the