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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Afghanistan Raid Nets 15 Tons of Opium |
| 2004-12-16 |
| Karzai backs words with deeds. A special anti-narcotics task force has raided drug laboratories in eastern Afghanistan, seizing more than 15 tons of opium. snip That amount of opium, one of the largest confiscations in recent years, could have been refined into about 11/2 tons of heroin. U.N. surveys estimate Afghanistan accounted for three-quarters of the world's opium last year. The raids took place Wednesday in Nangarhar province's Achin district, an Interior Ministry statement said, adding that Afghan Special Narcotics Force agents also destroyed 24 opium presses that are used to refine the drug. They also seized three tons of chemicals used to process opium into heroin and five AK-47 assault rifles. snip Another bust last week yielded nearly two tons of opium.snip Karzai said in his Dec. 6 inaugural address that the country's booming drug economy — estimated to account for 60 percent of gross domestic product — will be the top priority in his fresh five-year term. He said it is linked to terrorism and called it a bigger threat than the Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgents who mount almost daily attacks in the countryside..snip |
| Posted by:trailing wife |