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. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex