United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2024) UNODC Drugs Monitoring Platform Brief on Afghanistan and neighbouring regions: update on patterns and trends in heroin, methamphetamine and opium trafficking from 2020 to 2023, before and after the April 2022 Afghanistan drug ban. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
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The evidence reported in this brief is based on the analysis of geo-coded individual drug seizure data housed within the UNODC Drugs Monitoring Platform. The platform consists of a dataset fed by different layers of information. It is mainly based on significant drug seizures currently communicated to UNODC by Member States via the officially mandated Individual Drug Seizure data collection channel, though some information gaps resulting from insufficient reporting by national authorities are addressed by using public data, mainly from government sources and data from other contributors, as and where relevant.
The Drugs Monitoring Platform and its analytical outputs aim at examining possible changes in trafficking patterns and providing knowledge that can support law enforcement, strategic responses and policymakers. This is based on a constantly evolving and expanding dataset, and several data caveats should be borne in mind. These data can provide insights into some overarching trends in drug trafficking. However, there are limitations to interpretation. For one, seizure events are a function of illegal flows, interdiction efforts, and counter-smuggling efforts. Changes in any one of these factors may therefore result in increases or decreases in seizures, thus affecting interpretation. This analysis is based on selected countries situated along stages of the so-called Southern route (including East and Southern Africa), and along the Balkan, Caucasus, and Northern routes (excluding Western and Central Europe), focusing on seizures of heroin, methamphetamine, and in some cases opium, taking place in South-West Asia, South Asia, the Near and Middle East, Eastern Europe, South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Transcaucasia. Seizures in bodies of water within the mentioned subregions, such as the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea or the Indian Ocean, are also included and referred to as “maritime” seizures.
The reporting of seizure activity in Afghanistan has decreased dramatically since August 2021, making it difficult to assess the trafficking situation in the country. The data comparison covers the period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023. The dataset includes significant seizures (above a certain weight threshold). Unless otherwise indicated, relatively small seizure events (i.e., those involving less than 1 kilogram of heroin, opium or methamphetamine) have been included in the analysis. Seizure events analysed in this report total 20,362 published within the Drugs Monitoring Platform as of December 2023. The results outlined in this analytical document are not conclusive and trends may change as more data on seizures become available.
This brief explores the possible impact of the April 2022 Taliban ban on the production and trafficking of opiates and methamphetamine across different regions (and countries) affected by Afghan heroin, opium and methamphetamine. Trends are examined comparing the period from January 2020 up to March 2022, and then from April 2022 to December 20231. It is important to note that the trends identified when comparing the period before and after April 2022 do not always imply a causal relationship with the drug ban imposed by the Taliban. Disruptions in trafficking can take time to manifest as the supply chain may be affected by the holding and release of stocks over time. In addition, other events and dynamics can also impact the behaviour of traffickers and other relevant actors, including geopolitical conflicts or changes in prices due to the uncertainty of some measures. However, this analysis can provide insights into overarching emerging trends in opium, heroin and methamphetamine trafficking across the regions mentioned.
A degree of uncertainty persists regarding the attribution of observed changes in drug trafficking trends, particularly when examining subregions geographically distant from Afghanistan, where other trafficking patterns and drug production dynamics may be at play. More specifically, whereas heroin production can often be explicitly traced to Afghanistan, the identification of methamphetamine production can be more challenging as there is potential for it to be produced in any country across various geographic regions. As the data collection of officially reported individual drug seizures is a continuous activity, not all data for 2023 may have been reported prior to the publication of this brief. In addition, as mentioned in a previous DMP Brief3, the individual seizures recorded in the DMP are not meant to be comprehensive of whole amounts seized in a geographical area, the aim is rather to characterize all main significant seizures to describe patterns and flows of trafficking.
B Substances > Opioids (opiates)
B Substances > Opioids (opiates) > Heroin
MM-MO Crime and law > Substance related offence > Drug offence > Illegal production of drugs
MM-MO Crime and law > Substance related offence > Drug offence > Illegal transportation of drugs (smuggling / trafficking)
MM-MO Crime and law > Substance related offence > Drug offence > Illegal distribution of drugs (drug market / dealing)
MM-MO Crime and law > Substance related offence > Drug offence > Illegal drug possession (seizures)
VA Geographic area > Asia > South Central Asia
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