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| Afghanistan |
| Afghan police seize 44 tonnes of drugs in 3 months |
| 2008-07-21 |
| Afghan counter narcotics police have seized 44 tonnes of heroin and opium in the last three months, a big achievement in the fight against record-breaking drug production, a top government official said on Sunday. Afghanistan's poppy fields produced 93 percent of the world's opium last year, with more land under drug cultivation than Colombia, Bolivia and Peru combined, the United Nations says. But Afghan authorities say they are making some progress in cutting drug production, with more provinces expected to be declared poppy-free this year. A poor poppy harvest and high wheat prices are also expected to discourage drug production. "We have seized more than one tonne of heroin, 43 tonnes of opium and 256 tonnes of cannabis in the past three months from all over Afghanistan," Deputy Interior Minister General Dawood Dawood told reporters in the Afghan capital Kabul. "Around 463 cases of people involved in drugs issues have been finalised. That includes foreign and Afghan drug traffickers," he said. Illegal drugs are estimated to be worth more than $3 billion a year to the Afghan economy. That money helps fuel official corruption and also helps the Taliban insurgency through a 10 percent tax the militants impose on poppy farmers. Western officials complain Afghan authorities have failed to act against high-profile officials involved in the drugs trade, but Dawood said those arrested included senior officials. "We have arrested people involved in the drug trafficking business up to district governors and police chiefs and handed them over to the court," Dawood said. There are currently some 4,000 police officers in the campaign against drugs in Afghanistan, a small number considering the scale of the problem. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 What's the word? |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-07-21 19:22 |
| #9 Again I suggest Agent Grape. |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-07-21 19:21 |
| #8 Rodeo works as well as Roundup, without the wetlands effects. Shuts up the eco-whiners |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-07-21 19:15 |
| #7 Also, if more Afghans aquired the habit of drinking ethanol, they might start to call bullshit on the taliban's holier than thou crap... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2008-07-21 12:56 |
| #6 Agent Orange kills EVERYTHING, and takes about six months or more to wash out of the environment. It's also not safe for children or other living things. Better to use RoundUp or some other, less toxic system. Have the Afghans plant corn, and build an ethanol plant or two. That'll help them, since they have to import all their gasoline, and put a crimp in the poppy cultivation at the same time. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-07-21 12:06 |
| #5 I guess you could call Agent Orange chemical warfare but, if you think about it, wouldn't the same term apply to heroin? |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2008-07-21 11:48 |
| #4 Round-up is a wonderful thing. My favourite tree-hugger approves of it highly. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-07-21 10:17 |
| #3 Roundup would prolly kill poppies wouldn't it? It does a good job on coca. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-07-21 07:26 |
| #2 Letting the troops put a torch to ANY poppies they find would also help. I dunno who came up with the ridiculous policy we have now, but they should be brought up to answer for it. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-07-21 07:25 |
| #1 It's a good start, and will get easier so long as wheat prices remain seductively high. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-07-21 07:01 |