Pubdate: Mon, 04 Mar 2002
Source: Tehran Times (Iran)
Copyright: 2002 Tehran Times
Contact:  http://www.mapinc.org/media/1903
Website: http://www.tehrantimes.com/

MERCHANTS OF DEATH STILL IN BUSINESS

For hundreds of years "merchants of death" have been sending thousands of 
youth and others down a dead-end road in life.

Drug trafficking has been a source of concern at the international level 
but, unfortunately, there has never been close cooperation among countries 
to stop drug trafficking. Some international organizations actually spend 
more time and effort documenting the volume of drugs produced than 
mobilizing countries against this global scourge.

The world should initiate a comprehensive campaign against illegal drug 
trafficking instead of leaving the heavy burden to countries like Iran.

Afghanistan's new interim government promised on January 31 to wage total 
war on drugs, saying brigades of tractors would soon plough up opium poppy 
fields and destroy the source of two-thirds of the world's heroin supply. 
Now that the Taleban have been removed from power, there should be no 
excuses or delay in cracking down on drugs, and the Afghan interim 
government should leave no stone unturned in its fight against poppy 
cultivation and illegal drug trafficking. Officials in Kabul should also 
seek help from international forces based in Afghanistan and other 
countries and international organizations to root out all traces of poppy 
cultivation.

The international community should realize that the scourge of drug 
trafficking, or rather "death trafficking," should not be considered to be 
less important than "terrorism."

Being a neighbor of Afghanistan, Iran has been a victim of the drug trade 
and it has been at the forefront of a bloody campaign against drug 
trafficking which has cost Iran thousands of lives and great financial 
losses. It should be noted that most of the drugs are transited through 
Iran to European and North American markets.

On July 28, 2000, the now-toppled Taleban leader issued a decree ordering a 
ban on poppy cultivation. Farmers and the United Nations Drug Control 
Program (UNDCP) were able to verify that thousands of hectares of land were 
poppy-free in February 2001. At the time some analysts cast doubts over the 
effectiveness of the ban, saying that the decline in opium production was 
largely due to the drought in the landlocked Central Asian state.

Since 1999, Afghanistan has produced approximately 75 percent of the 
world's opium, cultivated on 91,000 hectares in 1999 and 82,000 hectares in 
2000. After the Taleban banned opium poppy cultivation, a survey team led 
by the UNDCP regional office in Islamabad visited 80 percent of the known 
poppy growing areas in the 51 districts known to have produced 86 percent 
of the year 2000's crop. The team found less than 30 hectares of poppies 
which were later eradicated.

Laboratories in Afghanistan convert opium into morphine base, white heroin, 
or one of three grades of brown heroin, depending on the order received. 
Large processing labs are located in southern Afghanistan. Smaller 
laboratories are located in other areas of Afghanistan, including Nangarhar 
Province.

In the past, many opium processing laboratories were located in Pakistan, 
particularly in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). These laboratories 
appear to have relocated to Afghanistan, both to be closer to the source of 
opium and to avoid law enforcement actions by the government of Pakistan. 
Laboratories in Afghanistan produce heroin for the world market. Chemists 
in the region are capable of producing heroin hydrochloride with extremely 
high purity levels.

Laboratories are located throughout Afghanistan, with a significant number 
of conversion laboratories located in Helmand Province.

Afghanistan produces no essential or precursor chemicals. Acetic anhydride 
(AA), which is the most commonly used acetylating agent in heroin 
processing, is smuggled primarily from Pakistan, India, Central Asia, 
China, and Europe.

According to the World Customs Organization, China seized 5,670 metric tons 
of AA destined for Afghanistan in April 2000.

It is regrettable that since the fall of the Taleban in Afghanistan, the 
scourge of drug trafficking has not been eradicated and is still taking 
victims throughout the world. According to UNDCP reports, farmers have 
traditionally stored up to 60 percent of each year's crop for future sale, 
which suggests that the farmers themselves may still have significant 
stocks of opium.

Since donor countries agreed to contribute to the reconstruction of 
Afghanistan at the Tokyo Conference on January 21 and 22, they should help 
the Afghan government destroy the poppy fields and find replacement crops. 
The UNDCP, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the interim Afghan 
government and key regional countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia 
can play very important roles in this campaign.
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MAP posted-by: Alex