Afghan drug barons are branching out into methamphetamines
Sep 5th 2019ISLAMABADDRUG PRODUCERS in Afghanistan have a new line. The country responsible for growing around three-quarters of the world’s opium, as well as mountains of hashish, is diversifying into methamphetamine. The amount seized by the Afghan authorities is increasing exponentially, says the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime. Police hauled in a meagre 4kg in both 2013 and 2014. In the first six months of this year the tally was 650kg.This sudden rise has caught authorities by surprise. Afghanistan’s meth boom appears to have begun in its western neighbour. Iran has long had its own meth problem, but a crackdown there has hobbled producers. Some may have relocated to the lawless western deserts of Afghanistan. Afghan migrant labourers have probably learned the meth business in Iran, then brought it home.Choose us for news analysis that respects your time and intelligenceSubscribe to The EconomistWe filter out the noise of the daily news cycle and analyse the trends that matterWe give you rigorous, deeply researched and fact-checked journalism. That’s why Americans named us their most trusted news source in 2017Available wherever you are—in print, digital and, uniquely, in audio, fully narrated by professional broadcastersThis website adheres to all nine of NewsGuard‘s standards of credibility and transparency.ORContinue reading this articleRegister with an email address