Afghan president orders crackdown on illegal drugs

Jan 10, 2012, 8:59 GMT

Kabul - Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered his security forces on Tuesday to crack down on illegal drugs in the country.

Karzai said he had ordered police to 'firmly go after and bring to justice the mafia groups involved in narcotics dealings.'

Afghanistan is the world's top opium producer. The United Nations said the value of total opium production stands at 9 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.

'Prudent measures should be taken to contain the rise in drug abuse and strict action against those who supply it for abuse in cities,' Karzai said in a statement released by his office.

Afghanistan itself has more than 1 million addicts, according to the Ministry of Counter-Narcotics.

In October, a UN report said 2011 opium production could increase 61 per cent, from 3,600 tons to 5,800 tons.

The price of dry opium also increased from 169 dollars per kilogram in 2010 to 241 dollars in 2011, the UN report said, or three times more expensive than 2009.

Officials say the rising price gives farmers and traders added incentive to continue cultivation and production despite government attempts to curb the trade.

The UN also said the potential value of the opium produced in 2011 would be around 1.4 billion dollars, an increase of 133 per cent since 2010.

According to Afghan, US and UN officials, the trade has been a financial lifeline of Taliban insurgents waging insurgency since 2001.