Posted on 06/11/2008 8:50:38 PM PDT by blam
World's biggest drug seizure in Afghanistan
By David Blair, Diplomatic Editor
Last Updated: 12:38AM BST 12/06/2008
Afghanistan's police claim to have made the largest drugs seizure in history after they discovered hashish worth at least £200 million.
Afghan counter narcotics officials uncovered 260 tons of hashish hidden in 6-foot-deep trenches in southern Afghanistan
About 260 tons of narcotics were found in trenches and bunkers in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.
No previous haul comes close to matching this find, which weighed roughly the same as 30 double-decker buses.
The previous record was set by Colombia's security forces when they uncovered 81 tons of coca.
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said: "This was the largest ever single find of narcotics in history. It reflects the efforts of the Afghan government against the drug trade, and was so large that two aircraft were brought in to destroy the underground bunker in which the hashish was being stored."
Mr Miliband added: "Britain and the rest of the international community will continue to do everything we can to support the Afghan government fight the narcotics trade, and promote Afghan development."
Taliban insurgents use the drugs trade to fund their campaign against Western forces.
By seizing a cache worth more than £200 million, the security forces may have deprived the Taliban of a major financial boost.
General David McKiernan, the new Nato commander in Afghanistan, said the police had "made a huge step forward" in "curbing the tide of illegal drug trade in this country".
Gen McKiernan added: "With this single find, they have seriously crippled the Taliban's ability to purchase weapons that threaten the safety and security of the Afghan people and the region."
But Afghanistan's biggest drug problem is not hashish of the sort that was found yesterday. Instead, opium is the major concern.
Last year, Afghans grew 9,000 tons of raw opium, enough to be refined into 880 tons of heroin, or 93 per cent of the world's supply.
Dang!
>>Last year, Afghans grew 9,000 tons of raw opium, enough to be refined into 880 tons of heroin, or 93 per cent of the world’s supply.<<
880 tons of heroin, that’s what the American troops are fighting to keep in the US economy. Without illegal drugs, we could retire 1/3 of all law enforcement and prison industry connected positions and a entire division of the medical industry.
Saw pictures on the news. Looked like some really righteous bud.
Platitudes R U.
Now these poor people will starve to death … we have taken away their bumper crop. I feel so sad … /s
Curry? hehehe
WHOA!
Liberal media reports US economy will crash and burn. Forecasters opine that things are now worse than EVER!
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