UN Envoy in Iran Warns against Surge of Narcotics Trade in Afghanistan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The temporary representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to Iran expressed concern over the growing trend of production and trade of illicit drugs in Afghanistan and said the annual sales of heroin in the country amount to $28 billion.
Addressing an expert meeting titled “Sustainable Development and Job Creation in Areas at Risk” in Tehran on Tuesday, Alexander Schmidt said opium production in Afghanistan in 2016 increased by 10 percent compared to a year earlier.
The money earned by illicit drugs production is mind-blowing, he said, adding that total sales of heroin in Afghanistan amount to $28 billion per year.
The UN official further emphasized that despite some security issues, UNODC is assisting Afghanistan and Iran in the campaign against illicit drugs.
Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.
Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past three decades.
The country has spent more than $700 million on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades.
