Pubdate: Tue, 11 Jun 2002
Source: Gulf News (UAE)
Copyright: 2002, Al Nisr Publishing, LLC
Contact:  http://www.gulf-news.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1604
Author: Mohsen Asgary

DRUG TRAFFICKING CONTINUES DESPITE STRICT MEASURES

Zahedan, Iran

Despite beefing up security along the border with Afghanistan and having a 
new Afghan government in Kabul, Zahedan, the capital of the Iranian 
province of Sistan and Baluchestan, is witnessing a wave of drug 
trafficking from Afghanistan.

The peak-time of poppy harvest in Afghanistan started at the beginning of 
June led to more drugs and narcotics seizure by Iranian anti-drug forces. 
Authorities of the province of the Afghanistan-neighboured Sistan and 
Baluchestan have seized a total of five tones of drugs including 3.6 tones 
of hashish during last two months.

Being found in Iran with more than five grams of heroin is punishable by 
death. But despite the prohibition and the heavy penalties imposed by the 
authorities against drugs cultivation and trafficking in Afghanistan and 
Iran, and the agreement on fighting drugs between the two countries signed 
last March, the trend has not stopped yet.

Iran was hoping that the new authorities in Kabul and the stability 
throughout Afghanistan to decrease the amount of land dedicated to poppy 
and therefore was expecting a serious drop in crossing-border drug 
trafficking. However, the situation has ironically changed for the worse.

The Taliban had imposed a ban on drugs cultivation and trafficking in 2000, 
a move that led to a considerable increase in drug prices in Iran and 
Afghanistan. Hence, the price of a kilo of opium sold at $400 in 
Afghanistan compared to the normal price of $50.

"In Zahedan, a kilo of opium sold for $750 and for $2,000 in Tehran when 
Taliban had banned it. However it is sold now in Tehran at $900 and $600 in 
Zahedan," Mehdi Morasaie, Head of the Anti-Drugs Depart- ment in Zahedan, 
told Gulf News.

He added, "Prices have dropped since March and expected to drop further in 
less than a month with the harvest season reaching its peak".

Although Iran and the Taliban were sworn enemies, Iranian officials managed 
to go inside Afghanistan to help Afghan farmers grow alternative crops 
after Taliban banned poppy cultivation. Afghanistan's interim leader Hamid 
Karzai has also banned drug cultivation and trafficking, yet his government 
is not powerful enough to implement the ban round the country.

An Iranian official in Zahedan said that for the time being Iran's experts 
are not allowed to enter Helmand, while last year they freely went there 
and spent $110,000 in seeds, fertilisers, tractors and fuel to help local 
farmers grow alternative crops.

Now warlords faithful to Gol Agha, the present U.S.-backed governor of the 
southern province of Kandahar control most of Helmand, which traditionally 
produced 60 per cent of Afghanistan's opium. According to the United 
Nations drug unit, some 25,000 hectares in Helmand have been dedicated to 
poppy cultivation this year.

The transition period opened by the defeat of the Taliban emboldened last 
November the farmers to take advantage of the disorder and cultivate poppy 
instead of wheat to earn more money.

Golestan sugar company located in the border city of Birjand  mid way 
between Zahedan and Mashad announced that it is ready to provide seeds and 
agricultural facilities for Afghan farmers to cultivate sugar beet and 
guarantees to buy their crops.

Even $350 per jibril compensation offered by the Kabul government according 
to a British programme doesn't encourage the farmers to destroy their poppy 
farms, whose crops have been sold to big traffickers for a minimum of 
$1,000 per jibril.

The 1500-km border with Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the impoverished 
situation of the area, aggravated by the four-year drought, might have 
forced the residents of the border areas to trade in drugs.

"Whatever the circumstances are, the Iranian authorities consider drug 
trafficking a crime against national security," said Reza Afzal, an 
anti-drug police officer in Zahedan.

Some 3,125 Iranian police personnel and anti-drug forces have been killed 
in the fight against drugs since 1979, half of them in Zahedan alone. Afzal 
added," Zahedan is on the front line in the fight against drug smugglers 
and anti-drug forces try hard to fight against bandits and international 
traffickers. " Anti-drug campaign costs the country $800 million each year.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom