Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Large stockpiles of illicit opium accumulated in Afghanistan before the Taliban&#39;s nationwide poppy ban continue to sustain the global heroin trade, delaying any immediate disruption to international drug markets despite a collapse in cultivation, according to the World Drug Report 2026 released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report said Afghanistan&#39;s unprecedented crackdown on poppy cultivation has reduced opium production by around 95% since the Taliban imposed the ban. However, it adds, the large quantities of opium accumulated before the ban continue to feed international drug markets, delaying any immediate disruption to global heroin supplies. Afghanistan&#39;s long legacy as the world&#39;s drug hubFor more than two decades, Afghanistan remained the world&#39;s largest producer of illicit opium, supplying nearly 80 percent of the world&#39;s illicit opium and serving as the backbone of the global heroin trade.&nbsp; The narcotics economy became one of the country&#39;s largest underground industries, enriching criminal networks, smugglers and transnational trafficking syndicates while fueling corruption, organized crime and regional insecurity. According to the UN report, no other country, including Myanmar, Mexico or Laos, has been able to replace Afghanistan&#39;s dominant role in global opium production despite the sharp decline in Afghan cultivation. Heroin supply tightens, synthetic drugs riseThe report warns that while heroin trafficking will continue for now because of existing stockpiles, shrinking supplies are already reshaping global drug markets. In 12 major destination markets, the price of one gram of pure heroin nearly doubled during 2023 and 2024, from around $250 to nearly $500, while purity declined because of reduced availability. The UN also warns that traffickers are increasingly turning to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and nitazenes, which are cheaper to manufacture, easier to smuggle and significantly more potent than heroin.&nbsp; Experts fear this shift could trigger a new global public health crisis due to rising overdose deaths. Trafficking networks remain activeDespite the cultivation ban, heroin trafficking has not stopped. The report says seizures of heroin and opium in Afghanistan and neighboring countries indicate that criminal networks continue to move narcotics using stockpiles accumulated before the Taliban ban.&nbsp; Although the volume of seizures has declined, trafficking routes remain active and are expected to continue operating until the remaining reserves are exhausted. Economic crisis deepens for Afghan farmersThe report says that while the poppy ban has significantly reduced cultivation, it has also dealt a severe blow to Afghanistan&#39;s fragile rural economy. Thousands of farming families who depended on opium cultivation have lost their primary source of income.&nbsp; With widespread poverty, unemployment and limited alternative livelihoods, the UN warns that economic hardship continues to grow, increasing the risk that farmers may return to illicit cultivation unless sustainable sources of income are created. Signs of regional spilloverThe report notes early indications that traffickers may be looking beyond Afghanistan for new production areas. According to UN data, the area of destroyed poppy fields in India and some other countries increased from 5,868 hectares in 2022 to 13,200 hectares in 2023.&nbsp; While this does not suggest these countries can replace Afghanistan&#39;s former production levels, it indicates criminal networks are exploring alternative cultivation zones. Warning: Afghanistan&#39;s drug legacy is far from overThe UNODC concludes that Afghanistan&#39;s poppy ban has dramatically altered the global heroin market, but decades of accumulated opium stockpiles mean the country&#39;s influence on international drug trafficking will continue through at least the end of 2026. The report says Afghanistan&#39;s role in the global narcotics trade is entering a new phase rather than disappearing altogether.&nbsp; As heroin supplies gradually decline, the growing shift toward synthetic opioids presents a new and potentially more dangerous challenge for governments, law enforcement agencies and public health authorities around the world.

Afghanistan

UN says that large quantities of opium accumulated before the ban continue to feed international drug markets, delaying any immediate disruption to global heroin supplies.



Afghanistan's opium stockpiles sustain global heroin trade despite Taliban ban: UN

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan remained the world&rsquo;s largest supplier of heroin and other opiates, with the Balkan route experiencing the highest intensity of trafficking, according to the Turkish Drug Report 2025 released this week.&nbsp;The report stated, &ldquo;Afghanistan continues to be the largest supplier country globally for the trafficking and production of heroin and other opiates.&rdquo;&nbsp;It noted that trafficking routes through the Balkans and southern and northern corridors remained the most frequently used. Among these, the Balkan route, which passed through T&uuml;rkiye, had &ldquo;the highest intensity of use.&rdquo;&nbsp;Historically, the Balkan route had been the principal channel for moving Afghan opiates to Western and Central Europe. From Afghanistan, drugs passed through Iran and T&uuml;rkiye before splitting into three main branches.&nbsp;Political changes in Afghanistan, which in April 2021 supplied about 80% of the global illegal opioid market, had led to &ldquo;significant decreases in the supply of opioids in drug markets, especially heroin,&rdquo; the report said.&nbsp;In response, there had been an increase in synthetic opioid derivatives in Europe and pharmacies, including &ldquo;fentanyl analogs and nitazenes,&rdquo; which had increasingly been linked to serious health risks and fatalities.&nbsp;T&uuml;rkiye, located on the Balkan route, continued to play a key role in heroin seizures. While total seizures in 2024 were lower than in previous years, the report highlighted a &ldquo;31% increase compared to the previous year, reaching 4.3 tons.&rdquo; <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/37627031-cb6d-4aff-84c0-1232f90b641b.png" style="width: 558px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><div style="text-align: left; line-height: 2;">Source: Turkish Drug Report 2025</div>&nbsp;The report attributed this rise primarily to a &ldquo;19% increase in opium cultivation areas in Afghanistan&rdquo; in 2024.&nbsp;&ldquo;Despite the political developments in recent years, Afghanistan continued to be the country that supplied the most illegal opiates to illegal drug markets worldwide,&rdquo; the report emphasized. Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan expanded from 10,800 hectares in 2023 to 12,800 hectares in 2024.&nbsp;Following the Taliban&rsquo;s bans on opium, the report anticipated that &ldquo;continent-based drug trafficking groups may turn to the trafficking of different drug types&rdquo; to offset profit losses from declining heroin supplies.

Afghanistan remained the world’s largest supplier of heroin and other opiates, with the Balkan route experiencing the highest intensity of trafficking, according to the Turkish Drug Report 2025 released this week.

Articles tagged with "Opium"

Afghanistan's opium stockpiles sustain global heroin trade despite Taliban ban: UN

Afghanistan remains top global heroin supplier: Turkish police report

Afghanistan's opium stockpiles sustain global heroin trade despite Taliban ban: UN