Surge in Methamphetamine Trafficking in Afghanistan Raises Concerns

• Despite Taliban efforts to curb heroin trafficking, meth trafficking has intensified.
• Meth seizures in the region increased twelvefold in the five years leading up to 2021.
• Neighboring countries like Iran and Pakistan also reported rising meth seizures.
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Methamphetamine trafficking in and around Afghanistan has seen a significant increase in recent years, despite the Taliban’s efforts to curb heroin trafficking since assuming power, according to a United Nations report released on Sunday.

The Executive Director of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ghada Waly, expressed concern about the surge in methamphetamine trafficking in Afghanistan and the region, highlighting its importance for immediate attention.

Following their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban announced a ban on narcotics production in Afghanistan, a country known as the world’s largest opium producer. Taliban authorities claim to be cracking down on Afghan poppy farmers and destroying opium crops.

While heroin trafficking has slowed down as a result of these measures, the UNODC noted in a statement that meth trafficking “has intensified since the ban.”

The report revealed that methamphetamine seizures in and around Afghanistan increased twelvefold in the five years leading up to 2021. From 2019 to 2022, neighboring countries such as Iran and Pakistan reported a rise in meth seizures. Furthermore, countries as distant as France and Australia reported seizing methamphetamine believed to have originated in Afghanistan.

The UNODC emphasized that a significant portion of the meth produced in Afghanistan utilized precursor ingredients commonly found in some cold and flu medications.

Afghanistan possesses the ephedra plant, which can be used to manufacture methamphetamine, but the UNODC clarified that Afghanistan’s meth production did not rely solely on this plant due to the substantial quantities required and the uncertainty of crop yields.

The UNODC highlighted that the production of methamphetamine was more efficiently and cost-effectively achieved using common cold medications and industrial-grade chemicals, posing a more substantial threat.

In summary, the UN report underscores the alarming rise in methamphetamine trafficking in Afghanistan and the surrounding region, despite efforts to reduce opium production. Methamphetamine seizures have increased significantly, and the UNODC highlights the use of precursor ingredients and other chemicals in its production, emphasizing the need for urgent attention to this emerging issue.

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