Afghanistan Drug Production Equals International Aid

Afghanistan has become the world’s largest producer of drugs

In 2002 Afghanistan became the world's largest producer of illegal opiate narcotics, according to statements by Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov at the conference "Routes to Deliver Drugs from Central Asia to Europe."

The minister said that, according to estimates by UN experts, this trend in the opiate narcotics production would continue to develop in 2003 too. The Russian minister pointed out that drug trafficking income in Afghanistan was $1.2 billion in 2002.

Routes to transport drugs from Afghanistan have already reached London. Igor Ivanov said that Afghan opium and heroine had conquered many world markets, including those of the United States, Japan and Australia.

The output of narcotics in Afghanistan is virtually comparable to the volume of international aid that the country has been getting. The Russian foreign minister said that a large part of that huge amount of money was used to fund international terrorist groups, imperiling the security of many countries.