No Signs of Decrease in Drug Trafficking from Afghanistan, Says Tajikistan

Tajikistan's Drug Control Agency has reported that despite the Taliban's claims of anti-narcotics measures, there have been no indications of a decrease in drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Tajikistan.

The agency stated that drug production continues in underground laboratories within Afghanistan.

Russian news agency TASS, citing the agency on Monday, reported that drugs produced in Afghanistan are being trafficked to Tajikistan and then, to other countries.

According to the report, more than 2.5 tonnes of illegal substances were seized in 2023 in areas of Tajikistan bordering Afghanistan.

TASS added that this amount of drugs constitutes more than half of the total drugs seized in Tajikistan last year.

The report also mentions that Tajikistan has no information on the Taliban's measures against drug production and trafficking. This is despite Taliban officials claiming effective implementation of a ban on drug cultivation and production in Afghanistan.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) had reported a 95% reduction in poppy cultivation and opium production in Afghanistan. However, the UN noted an increase in the production of industrial drugs, especially methamphetamine, in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Iranian officials have also previously stated that despite the ban on opium and poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, drug production and trafficking from Afghanistan to Iran have not decreased.