Afghan Counter-Narcotics Minister Habibullah Qaderi and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) executive director Antonio Maria Costa hold a news conference in Kabul. (Reuters)
UN demands Afghanistan act against traffickers of record opium crop
The United Nations has demanded that the Afghan Government take firm steps against opium traffickers including arresting the kingpins of the multi-million-dollar trade and seizing their assets.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime chief Antonio Maria Costa made the call after announcing a nearly 60 per cent jump in area planted with opium poppies and a nearly 50 per cent hike in annual output to a record 6,100 tonnes.
"We insist on arresting and bringing to justice the 100 most serious drug traffickers and opium farmers," Ms Costa said.
The Government should "seize their assets and redistribute them to the people of Afghanistan, particularly the land," he said.
Few of the kingpins of Afghanistan's drugs trade have been caught despite allegations that several, including a brother of President Hamid Karzai, are involved.
Officials say they lack evidence to take action.
"We have prepared a maximum security wing in the grand hotel Pul-i-Charki," Mr Costa said referring to Afghanistan's main prison on the outskirts of Kabul.
"It has 100 beds, we want these beds to be taken up in the next few months."
Mr Costa said he feared the facility would be filled with low-level traffickers, such as drivers.
"We should remind ourselves that the maximum security prison was set up only for the very major cases and that is what we want to see," Mr Costa said.
The UN had long called for officials involved in the drugs trade to be removed, he said.
However, "so far we don't have much evidence of that and we hope that more forceful initiatives will be undertaken exactly in that area".
The drugs chief said drugs cultivation and the related lack of security meant some provinces in Afghanistan were facing a "state of emergency" that could see them fail in the near future.
But the dramatic surge in opium cultivation did not mean the fight against drugs was "hopeless" although it could take up to 20 years to win, he said.
Opium was Afghanistan's largest employer, income generator, export and source of investment, he said.
However, it could be overcome by helping farmers turn to other crops, improving security, rooting out corrupt officials and eradication of poppy fields.
- AFP
