The Drug Control Agency of Tajikistan has refuted the Taliban’s assertion of a decline in drug trafficking from Afghanistan, stating that there is no concrete evidence to support such a reduction.
According to a report from the TASS news agency on Monday, February 5th, the Drug Control Agency of Tajikistan (DCA) conveyed that recent intelligence indicates the initiation of drug production in covert laboratories within Afghanistan. Subsequently, these illicit substances are smuggled into Tajikistan before being transported to various other countries.
The report highlights that in 2023, over 2.5 tons of drugs were unearthed and confiscated in areas of Tajikistan bordering Afghanistan. This accounted for more than half of the total drugs seized in the country throughout the past year.
On the other hand, the Tajikistani authority has emphasized that Dushanbe has not received any information regarding the anti-drug measures undertaken by the Taliban.
It is worth noting that despite the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s leader, purportedly prohibited the cultivation, production, and trafficking of drugs within the country.
Earlier, Anyoba Sod, a representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), expressed concerns about the ban on opium cultivation and the drought in Afghanistan, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis, particularly in rural areas.
According to a United Nations report, only 10,800 hectares of land were dedicated to opium cultivation in Afghanistan last year. The report also indicates a staggering 96% decrease in farmers’ income from opium sales in 2023.