Report Shows Afghan Drugs Reach Deep In The West

[Tchort]

New York Times

10/22/2009

UNITED NATIONS — The Afghan opium harvest is feeding a $65 billion global trade in heroin each year, which now kills many more people in NATO countries in a year than the number of NATO soldiers who have died on the battlefield in Afghanistan since 2001, Antonio Maria Costa, the senior United Nations official on drugs and crime, said Thursday.

“If we do not address this, it will be hard to solve all the other problems in Afghanistan,” Mr. Costa said, adding that the lucrative nature of the heroin trade is creating a “narco-cartel” in Afghanistan that includes corrupt government and security officials.

It is easier to try to uproot the heroin trade at its source, where opium is grown, than its destination, he said, particularly because heroin trafficking is disrupted less effectively in affluent Western countries, despite their financial and police resources.

Mr. Costa was summarizing a report from the office he heads, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which was released on Wednesday.

The opium crop from Afghanistan is refined to produce 375 tons of heroin, which makes up the bulk of the trade worldwide.

Drawing on figures supplied by the countries themselves, the United Nations report says that Iran intercepts 20 percent of the 105 tons of heroin that flows through its territory, Pakistan 17 percent of the 150 tons that comes in and Central Asian countries only 5 percent of the 100 tons that enters these nations.

Europeans consume about 88 tons of heroin per year, and the authorities seize only 2 percent of the heroin that enters Europe, mostly through Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, according to the report.

The annual death toll in all NATO countries from heroin overdoses is estimated to be more than 10,000, an annual total that is about five times higher the number of NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan in the past eight years, the report said.

The proceeds from the heroin trade help fuel the Taliban insurgency. When the Taliban were in power a decade ago in Afghanistan, heroin produced $100 million a year in taxes, the report said. The insurgents are now estimated to be gaining $160 million a year from trafficking in the drug.

Mr. Costa recommended that NATO forces concentrate on trying to dismantle the drug cartels in Afghanistan, instead of striking at individual farmers and crops.

By bombing drug laboratories, along with attacking traffickers and open drug markets, NATO troops have had limited success, he said, but they need to extend their reach.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/world/23nations.html

 

[jam uh weezy]

Interesting how the time frames between the boost in opium production and Operation Iraqi Freedom correlate, isn't it? Even more people dying in the countries that invaded Afghanistan from the drugs than soldiers in the actuaul war? I'm almost tempted to start making claims of conspiratorial population-control. I'd like to know where those figures came from.

By bombing drug laboratories, along with attacking traffickers and open drug markets, NATO troops have had limited success, he said, but they need to extend their reach.

WTF?! Bombing drug labs, and killing traffickers? That's grim...Why are these people involved in this business anyway? Cause they're trying to survive. Killing more people is solving a small symptom of problems much larger.

 

[phr]

^
My thoughts exactly about bombing.

The annual death toll in all NATO countries from heroin overdoses is estimated to be more than 10,000, an annual total that is about five times higher the number of NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan in the past eight years, the report said.

You know, when that number is put into perspective and compared to the large numbers that die in the countless other ways possible, it's just a drop in the bucket.

NSFW:

And that's obviously not the whole picture -just what a quick Google Image search provided. So, if we go by those numbers, 12k deaths represent what, 1.6%? So all that money and all those ruined lives spent on what? Keeping that number at 10k, and that's assuming they're successful...

 

[jspun]

I remember talk of ramping up the war in spring 08' under the former administration. This administration has definitely taken steps to increase our commitment in Aphganistan while decreasing Iraq. This is a NATO action and other member states make a big chunk of the forces over there (compared to coalition force %/ Irag because the Euros get most of their heroin from there. I think that the Bush administration's style was to make deals with opium supporting warlords in the interest of national security. I think Obama is going to try to bolster US image by fighting the opium trade more actively in conjuction with our European NATO allies to make them happy, Russia happy, ect...Canada gets theirs from SE Asia I think. Hopefully increase output by burmese insurgent groups working will cause the price to plumet in Europe, Canada, and have a domino effect on the US- Hopefully will see less property crimes, ect... as a positive result. I do think that terrorism/ Islamic Extreemism is still a threat to US security, I would hope Obama doesn't lose site of this chasing poppies.

 

[Tchort]

Heroin and low intensity conflicts are poor means of population control, very poor. Tobacco would be an example of very effective population control.

Distinctions aren't being drawn, at least in the US, between the Mujahadeen of the 1980's, Al-Qaeda pre-9/11, Al-Qaeda post-9/11, present day Al-Qaeda, Taliban pre-9/11, Taliban today, Afghani Taliban, Pakistani Taliban, etc.

All of these groups are simply lumped together as 'The Enemy' in the publics collective imagination. This makes an analysis of specific aspects of geopolitics and social changes in the region fruitless. 'Common Wisdom' among the US media follows this collective lumpenislamist view point, or a specific ideological agenda (ranging from progressive to neoconservative).

The more of these articles I read on the Opium/Heroin situation of the Golden Crescent (and the associated stories- European junkie subculture, the failed state of Kosovo and the Albanian mafia, the Iranian junkie subculture, peasant perceptions of Opium/Morphine/Heroin as medicine or harmless recreational substances, etc) the more I worry about another decade of drug violence reminiscent of the '80s: on the global scale, you've got the UN/NATO following the US in regime change in countries that have ties to drug traffickers or manufacturers (Panama), military strikes on growers/manufacturers/traffickers, financial and military assistance for governments fighting growers/manufacturers/traffickers, mob warfare for control of ports and distribution rights, gang warfare for control of blocks and streets, individual users commiting violence on one another and on civilians for profit.

The inability to read situations like this by oversimplifying reality will lead to devastating consequences.

 

[tathra]

when the taliban was still in control of afghanistan, poppy cultivation was almost non-existent. almost the very instant that america went in, poppy cultivation immediately began again, in an uncontrollable way. the taliban is actually VERY anti-drug, but as with any insurgency group, they will do whatever it takes to acquire the funds they need, at least until they get into power again.

growing opium is entirely too profitable, so there's really no way to stop the locals from growing it. especially since the people purchasing the opium pay up-front for it, before the crops are even grown, which gives the farmers the money they need to survive.

the only way to stop this is to LEGITIMIZE their opium crops, and use them for LEGITIMATE purposes.

 

[JahRed24x]

Does anyone else think the US or at least some branch of the US government is somewhat involved with opium/heroin and making money?

 

[qwe]

Interesting how the time frames between the boost in opium production and Operation Iraqi Freedom correlate, isn't it? Even more people dying in the countries that invaded Afghanistan from the drugs than soldiers in the actuaul war? I'm almost tempted to start making claims of conspiratorial population-control. I'd like to know where those figures came from.

the government/system has other uses for drugs besides population control. but i am convinced that "they" DO want the drugs to get here

By bombing drug laboratories, along with attacking traffickers and open drug markets, NATO troops have had limited success, he said, but they need to extend their reach.

so afghanis get murdered for crimes for which american citizens get a few years in prison. we're such a shining beacon

 

[jam uh weezy]

The population control comment was a joke...

growing opium is entirely too profitable, so there's really no way to stop the locals from growing it. especially since the people purchasing the opium pay up-front for it, before the crops are even grown, which gives the farmers the money they need to survive.

And especially since their economy is probably in ruins right now(because of who?), you'd be stupid not to exploit such an easily managed cash crop.

 

[drug_mentor]

Sad that they are keeping up this fucking charade, none of those soldiers would be dying in Afghanistan if we were smart enough to have not gone over there in the first place and a LOT less of those junkies would of died if they had pure heroin in known doses to use at a reasonable price.

 

[tathra]

^ after seeing first-hand just how bad the Taliban fucked the afghan people, i am extremely glad we went over there and ended their oppressive regime. you have NO IDEA just how bad things were there before.