95% Afghan opium smuggled outside of Afghanistan

A trilateral session among Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan was organized at Dushanbe in Tajikistan in a bid boost
counter-narcotics campaign.

Afghan Counter-Narcotics Minister Zerar Ahmad Muqbil said more than 6 to 7 tons of opium is manufactured illegally in
Afghanistan where a portion of the opium is used to manufacture 337 tons of heroin.

According to Afghan Counter-Narcotics Ministry statistics only 5% of the drugs produced in Afghanistan is consumed
domestically while 95% is smuggled outside of the country.

Afghan Counter-Narcotics Minister Zerar Ahmad Muqbil in Dushanbe said, “1/3 of the heroin produced in Afghanistan is smuggled to other countries through northern regions while 2/3 of the heroin produced is smuggled through Iran in other parts of the world.”

Mr. Muqbil further added the annual trade value of drugs production and smuggle reach up $67 billion in Afghanistan.

According to reports Afghan farmers receive only $1 billion from drugs cultivation while $66 bilion goes to the pockets of
the drugs smugglers.

Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said, the United Nations is working
on new programs on counter-narcotics and crime to be implemented by 2014.

At the end of the summit representatives from the 3 countries issued a statement which emphasizes on joint efforts to fight
narcotics smuggle and chemicals used for the production of drugs and opium.

It was also decided to organize similar summits after every two years to discuss regional counter-narcotics issues.