UN: Afghan drug flow wreaks global havoc

UN: Afghan drug flow wreaks global havoc
By Veronika Oleksyn - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Oct 21, 2009 17:51:32 EDT

VIENNA — The smuggling of Afghan opiates is fueling addiction and drug use along trafficking routes from Iran to Central Asia as well as spreading diseases and funding insurgents, the U.N. warned Wednesday.

Iran, Pakistan and Central Asian nations are among the most affected states but the negative impact of the multibillion-dollar Afghan narcotics flow is felt around the world as it continues to spread, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in a new report.

“The Afghan opiate trade fuels consumption and addiction in countries along drug trafficking routes before reaching the main consumer markets in Europe (estimated at 3.1 million heroin users), contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases,” the report said.

The illegal trade has also given a financial boost to Central Asian extremists that could further destabilize the area, UNODC chief Antonio Maria Costa warned in remarks accompanying the report.

“The Silk Route, turned into a heroin route, is carving out a path of death and violence through one of the world’s most strategic yet volatile regions,” Costa said. “The perfect storm of drugs, crime and insurgency that has swirled around the Afghanistan/Pakistan border for years is heading for Central Asia.”


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_afghan_opium_102109w/