Russian expert about Afghan drug trafficking

Boris Kalachev, Professor of the Criminology Department of the Moscow University under the Russian Interior Ministry and author of a number of books and articles on drug trafficking believes that Afghan drug trafficking concerns not only Russia but the international community as well.

In his interview with RIA Novosti Boris Kalachev stressed that Afghanistan had become a leader in drug trafficking in the world. About 90 percent of heroin coming to Russia was produced in Afghanistan.

According to Mr. Kalachev, Afghan poverty accounts for the fact that "production of drugs has become the main activities of Afghans." He also points out that "drug traffickers and authorities are knitting together." Mr. Kalachev believes that it is necessary to set up a commission involving Russia to monitor financial means allocated for the restoration of Afghanistan. According to him, the World Bank has already allocated $1.3 bln for Afghanistan but "it is still unclear what purposes the money was used for." Mr. Kalachev believes that "if the EU and the USA are concerned with drug trafficking through the Russian territory they have to partly finance the Russian frontier corps on the Tajik-Afghan border." The UN must play an important role in this situation.

On Tuesday, an open session of the UN Security Council devoted to the situation in Afghanistan and countermeasures against Afghan drug trafficking will take place in New York.

Russia presiding in the UN Security Council in June proposed to hold the session.