Taliban May Push Opium to Markets to Fund Their Activities

23 Sep, 2021 12:19 IST|Sakshi Post

Things have been serious with the seizure of narcotics and other substances in India. This has seen an increase in the past few months. The quantity is high and different modes are being used to carry out the seizure. It could be through either land or water.

This was the case way before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, and large amounts of high-grade heroin were seized in late 2020 and early 2021. Now it was not just normal seizures, such as from travelers attempting to sneak it in through airports, and cases of ingress across the Indo-Pak and Indo-Myanmar borders, 191 kgs were found in JNPT port, followed by 135 kgs in Mumbai and 283 kgs and 191 kgs in JNPT port. This has been an issue due to the border and for India, it has been a problem for a long time now.

India is between the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle. This geographical placing is one of the reasons for the drugs issue. The shared border with Pakistan that shares the border with Afghanistan makes a way for the opium. India shares a 3,300-km-long border with Pakistan.

Also Read: Taliban Bans Afghan Girls' Education

Due to the state of borders, India has been struggling with the drugs issue. The smuggling of Heroin has increased. With all that has been going on, Afghanistan is in desperate need of aid. It is one of the most financially poor countries and now with the Taliban takeover, things have become even more difficult. It is now a war zone in Afghanistan. People are suffering and need help.

Afghanistan has a population of almost 34 million and more than 50 percent lives under the poverty line. With war and people struggling in all facets, the country needs economic help. The country is not even getting financial aid from International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF restricted Afghanistan from getting any emergency services, reserves. The US Treasury Department has also frozen the reserves. All the options are closing.

With all that is happening now, it could easily mean drugs for Afghanistan. Drug peddling could be their last resort. Afghanistan has a large land under opium cultivation. In 2020 alone, an estimate of 6,300 tonnes of opium was cultivated. Even though the Taliban have been saying that they will not let Afghanistan become the opium hub, that claim seems difficult to get fulfilled. With the financial condition of the country, drugs seem an open option now.

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