Swiss voters approve heroin progam
From the AP (via Yahoo News):
The world’s most comprehensive legalized heroin program became permanent Sunday with overwhelming approval from Swiss voters who simultaneously rejected the decriminalization of marijuana.
The heroin program, started in 1994, is offered in 23 centers across Switzerland. It has helped eliminate scenes of large groups of drug users shooting up openly in [...]
Suppliers of half of Western Europe’s heroin convicted
The suppliers of up to half of Western Europe’s heroin was convicted of drug trafficking.
From the AP (via the Washington Post):
Two brothers from Kosovo were convicted Thursday of running a massive drug smuggling ring that prosecutors said supplied Western Europe with up to half of its heroin.
Ragip and Kemal Shabani channeled 1.5 tons of heroin [...]
Taliban stockpiling opium to control world prices
United Nations Officials believe that the Taliban is hiding opium and preventing it from entering the world drug market to keep prices high.
From Time Magazine:
According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, between 6,000 and 8,000 tons of opium have vanished during the past three years somewhere between the poppy fields of Afghanistan — [...]
Afghan governor tries to persuade, not eradicate opium farmers
An Afghan governor is attempting to persuade farmers not to plant opium instead of eradicating the crop after it has been planted.
From the IHT:
As the new planting season for opium poppy draws near, the governor of Helmand, Afghanistan’s largest poppy-producing province, says that this year he is determined to beat the illicit crop, which is [...]
Brother of Afghan President linked to drug trafficking
The brother of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is being linked to the drug trade in the country, according to a report.
From the New York Times:
When Afghan security forces found an enormous cache of heroin hidden beneath concrete blocks in a tractor-trailer outside Kandahar in 2004, the local Afghan commander quickly impounded the truck and notified [...]
NATO to target drug traffickers in Afghanistan
NATO announced that it will begin targeting drug trafficking in Afghanistan to limit the amount of revenue that the Taliban receives from the drug trade.
From the NY Times:
NATO forces in Afghanistan will step up attacks on drug lords and narcotics traffickers who are supporting an insurgency that has rebounded in the past year and is responsible for rising [...]
Asian Elephant completes Heroin detox
An Asian Elephant has completed rehab after becoming addicted to heroin giving by wildlife traders.
From the BBC:
The four-year-old animal, called Xiguang, received methadone injections for a year at five times the human dosage, state media said.
It was illegally captured by traders in 2005 in south-west China.
When police arrested the traders and freed the elephant, it [...]
Smugglers and refiners of heroin earn $3.5 billion in Afghanistan
Source: “No quick fixes,” The Economist, June 21, 2008, page 54.
Opium farmers in Afghanistan earn an estimated $500 million annualy
Source: “No quick fixes,” The Economist, June 21, 2008, page 54.
Slight gains against opium in Afghanistan
The United Nations is reporting that cultivation of opium in Afghanistan has slightly decreased in 2008.
From BBC News:
The area of poppy production in Afghanistan and the yield of opium from these crops have reduced this year compared with 2007, a UN report says.
It says more than half of the country’s 34 provinces are now poppy-free [...]
