Pubdate: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 Source: Australian, The (Australia) Copyright: 2003 News Limited Contact: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/35 Author: Shaikh Azizur Rahman, in New Delhi Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) BIRDS COURIER HEROIN DRUG traffickers in Pakistan are using carrier pigeons to beat the latest technological advances in surveillance. The Daily Times of Pakistan, quoting intelligence sources, said flocks of pigeons were being used by Afghan and Pakistani drug traffickers to carry their wares from Afghanistan to Pakistan where the traffickers are mostly based. The homing pigeons being used by the traffickers have their lofts in safe custodies in the villages along the western frontier region of Pakistan. From Pakistan it is mostly the Afghan refugees who carry the pigeons packed in small cages to the bordering villages of Afghanistan where make-shift drug refineries are located in areas controlled by various Afghan warlords. About 10g of heroin is stuffed into a bullet-shaped tin capsule which is then fastened to one leg of each of the pigeons. The hungry and thirsty pigeons are released from Afghanistan, and in one to two hours fly to their lofts in Pakistan where the heroin capsules are collected by the traffickers. For the traffickers it involves very little risk as birds are immune to the latest technology used by the anti-narcotics taskforce in Pakistan. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake