Afghan drug-trafficking to Russia still high: Anti-Drug chief
Moscow, Mar 12 : Russia's Federal Drug Control Service chief Viktor Ivanov today said that Afghan drug-trafficking to Russia was still high.
''I cannot say that Afghan heroin deliveries to Russia have reduced over the past 10 years because heroin production is not being terminated but on the contrary is unfolding,'' Mr Ivanov said in an interview to a news agency.
He said the Federal Drug Control Service has been discovering ''more and more laboratories that produce and send drugs in the direction of Russia,'' adding that most labs are located in Afghanistana€™s north.
Mr Ivanov said 4,000-8,000 metric tons of opium is produced in Afghanistan annually, stressing that the tremendous amount is too hard to sell in that country, which is why it ''is
supplied to remote markets, one of which is Russia.''
''The second largest market is the EU. It is evident that the problem can only be solved when Afghanistan stops
producing drugs in such tremendous amounts,'' he said.
Mr Ivanov said the total drug production in Afghanistan is worth over 100 billion dollars, which, he called, is just a ''modest'' estimate.
Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Russia was concerned over spreading terrorism and drug threats from northern Afghanistan to neighbouring Central Asian states.
''Russia has expressed concerns over the spreading terrorism and drug threats from northern Afghanistan to
bordering Central Asian states, which are Russiaa€™s partners in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO),'' it said.