Thousands of Pounds of Illegal Drugs Seized in Afghanistan
In Kabul, Afghanistan, troops with the NATO-led force have seized more than 6,000 pounds of illegal drugs. They found more than 5,300 pounds of processed opium, more than 1,000 pounds of wet opium paste, approximately 50 pounds of heroin, and multiple firearms with ammunition, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said.
CNN reports that authorities arrested two people and destroyed most of the drugs, though they kept some narcotics to analyze. The confiscation took place Wednesday in southern Afghanistan in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province after troops stopped a "suspicious" truck.
Made from poppies, Afghan opium kills 100,000 people a year worldwide (more than any other drug) and heroin (an opiate) kills five times as many people in NATO countries each year than the total number of NATO troops killed in combat in Afghanistan, a recent U.N. report said.
About 15 million people around the world use heroin, opium, or morphine, fueling a $65 billion market for the drug as well as terrorism and insurgencies.
The Taliban raised $450 million to $600 million over the past four years by "taxing" opium farmers and traffickers, said Antonio Maria Costa, head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime in a report last autumn.
Not all the money is going into the pockets of rebels or drug dealers, though. Some Afghan officials are making money off the trade as well, he said.
