Andrew cunningham, American film actor

Afghanistan's fastest-growing drug industry operates from desert outposts in plain view, a US media report said on Monday, weeks after the Taliban announced a ban on poppy cultivation.This comes as Afghanistan has been a global hub for opium production, estimated to supply 80 percent of the world's opiate users.According to The Washington Post, the meth industry is growing at record speed, stoking fears that the country could become a major supplier as demand rises globally.The US newspaper said that hundreds of meth labs have appeared in the country over the past six years.The report added that more are being built each month as the country's economic crisis forces Afghans to find new sources of income, the report said and added the vast majority of meth produced is for export."These labs have been extremely busy these last few months, as a consequence of the sheer amount of ephedra that passed through," said David Mansfield, an expert on Afghanistan's illicit economy who has produced reports for the World Bank and European Commission, drawing from on-the-ground investigators, aerial imagery and other sources.According to the Post, though the Taliban inspect the market, they have not tried to shut it down. This is happening despite the ban issued by the Taliban issued on the growing, production and distribution of illicit drugs.Abdulwadood who works openly in the methamphetamine business said the only reason they are in this business is that there are no other jobs. "Of course, if the economy gets worse, more people will start producing shisha.""A significant part of the Taliban's revenue comes from taxing illicit commodities, and drugs is one of those," said Andrew Cunningham, who heads the drug markets, crime and supply reduction branch at the EU's European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction."It's impossible to provide even the most basic of services unless there's money coming into the government coffers," Cunningham noted.( With inputs from ANI )Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Home

City

Latest News

Cricket

LT Premium

National

International

Maharashtra

Opinions

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Nagpur

Entertainment

Photos

Business

Technology

Sports

Lifestyle

Social Viral

Lokmat Games

Health

Pahalgam Terror Attack

Tahawwur Rana

IPL 2025

CM Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai Local

Weather Update

Andrew CunninghamFOLLOW

Andrew cunningham, Latest News

International :Narcotics found in Kabul, suspect held

Afghanistan's police have found narcotics and taken a suspected man into custody in the country's capital Kabul, the Ministry of Interior confirmed on Friday. ...

International :Afghanistan's drug industry continues to thrive despite ban on poppy cultivation

Afghanistan's fastest-growing drug industry operates from desert outposts in plain view, a US media report said on Monday, weeks after the Taliban announced a ban on poppy cultivation. ...