Dr Sana Imran
Afghanistan has been the ground zero of narcotics for decades now. Massive opium production, relent-less manufacturing of synthetic drugs and complex drugs economy of Afghanistan are a perennial issue, confronting the region and the globe.
Afghanistan alone produces 40 per cent of global drugs with more than 90 per cent of Opiates (e.g Heroin, Mor-phine, Codeine, Hydrocodone etc), circulating in the world’s drug markets. Despite being a landlocked country with no industrial base, each year Afghani-stan imports large quantities of precursor chemicals, which are presumably used in manufacturing of synthetic drugs, particularly the Methamphetamine or Ice. The decline in production of plant-based opiates has shifted focus towards the production of dangerous synthetic drugs, such as Methampheta-mine. Trafficking of chemical drugs along the shift-ing routes is introducing new challenges to the counter-narcotics LEAs.
Synthetic drugs have actually emerged as new busi-ness model for drug lords, due to their relative ease of production, greater difficulty in detection and relative resilience to climate changes. Other than production, seizures of Methamphetamine in and around Afghanistan remained 50 per cent higher by late 2024 compared to 2023. Each year, production and trafficking of Methamphetamine from Afghani-stan is increasing. The organized crime groups, which are otherwise rampant in Afghanistan, are also favouring the production of synthetic drugs, which is the reason of their stable prices in the drug markets. Resultantly, Methamphetamine (Ice) manufacturing factories are a common sight, across the length and breadth of Afghanistan, particularly in its bordering regions. It is in this vein that Af-ghanistan must not be misconstrued as opium capi-tal of the world only but a leading player in manu-facturing of synthetic drugs as well. The counter-narcotics strategies need to be broadened beyond opium to integrate synthetic drugs in monitoring, interdiction and analysis, as well as demand-reduction responses.
On November 6, 2025, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has released its report on Afghanistan. According to that report, opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan in 2025 decreased by 20 per cent compared to 2024, reaching an esti-mated total of 296 tons. Total area under opium cultivation in Afghanistan during 2025 is estimated at 10,200 hectares, which is lower than 2024 (12,800 hectares) and a fraction of the pre-ban lev-els recorded in 2022 (232,000 hectares). Farmer’s income from opium sales, has almost halved over the period from
US $ 260 million in 2024 to US $ 134 million in 2025. While the price of dry opium in 2025 has fallen by 27 per cent to US $ 570 compared to US $ 780 in 2024, it is still five times higher than the pre-ban average.
It is equally important to understand the motives and implications of Taliban’s poppy strategy. In 2022, Taliban imposed a ban on poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. Though, there was a massive 95 percent decrease during 2023, but such a severe decline in opium output proved only to be tempo-rary as 2024 saw a spike of 19 per cent in cultiva-tion and 30 per cent in production. Afghanistan produced 433 tons of opium in 2024. A geographic shift in cultivation patterns was also observed. Opium cultivation shifted from south western prov-inces (ie. traditional opium hub) to new fields in the north eastern provinces, where almost two third of cultivation (59 per cent) took place during 2024. This represented a sharp 381 per cent increase in north eastern provinces over 2023. While Taliban enforced a ban in 2022, very cunningly, they an-nounced a grace period of 10 months, to clear the existing stocks. This way, by stopping production for a while they created the desired demand. Also by maintaining calibrated supply, they sold the ex-isting stocks at much higher prices, thus minting fortunes despite the so-called ban. Afghanistan’s economy has always been thriving on the narco-dollars.
Despite lower cultivation figures during 2025, the presence of large opium stockpiles in Afghanistan and surge in production of synthetic drugs indicates that the regional threat is far from over. According to UNODC, opiate stocks at the end of 2022 were estimated to have totaled 13,200 tons – enough to potentially meet demand for Afghan opiates until 2027. These stockpiles are always at a risk of global re-circulation through informal levies like “usher” or tolerated trafficking. So, once there are talks about reduction in production of opium in Afghani-stan, questions must also be raised about the levels of existing stock of opium with the drug-rich Tali-ban. It is ideal to destroy the accumulated drug stockpiles under independent international supervi-sion. Otherwise, any decline in cultivation figures will remain to be temporary and incomplete phe-nomenon.
The drugs produced in Afghanistan do not remain confined to their borders but transcend frontiers illegally and become a grave threat to the public health and safety in the region and beyond. Paki-stan’s proximity to Afghanistan renders it highly vulnerable to the ill effects of drug trafficking through its western border. Pakistan’s territory is often misused as a transit route for Afghan-based drugs. Around 40% of illicit Afghan based drugs passes thorough Pakistan making it a “Victim and Transit State”. Now the heroin based transit route is at the verge of deteriorating into synthetic drugs transit route. The methamphetamine production surge in Afghanistan bears dire implications for Pakistan, which will not only exacerbate Pakistan’s internal drug crisis but will have a serious toll on Health Departments and LEAs.
Reportedly, during Poppy Eradication Campaign-2024/2025, Pakistani authorities apprehended and repatriated 110 Afghan nationals, who crossed the border illegally and were directly involved in poppy cultivation inside Pakistan. Pakistani authorities mandated with counter narcotics tasks, are actually acting as a barrier between Afghan-origin drugs and the world, by busting drugs trafficking organizations (DTOs) and seizing large quantities of drugs, des-tined for global destinations. Ironically, Afghan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) is also exploited by Afghan drug barons for trafficking and proliferation of drugs. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly seized Afghan-origin Heroin and Methamphetamine, concealed in cargo containers, which were transiting through its ports and trade routes, under the guise of APTTA.
International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)’s Report-2024 finds that proliferation of synthetic drugs is reshaping the illicit drug markets and criminals are fast to exploit the regulatory loop-holes. Exploitation of 2611 kilometers long porous border with Afghanistan, re-utilization of existing opium routes and inherent Hawala-Hundi system facilitate the drug pilferage into Pakistan. Largely, Methamphetamine is smuggled alongside heroin from Afghanistan, while using bribes, child mules, non-traditional routes, sling shots, advanced drones, camels and fishing boats, to dodge the detection.
Notwithstanding all the challenges, Pakistan contin-ues to deliver much more than its share, towards public health and safety. In 2024 alone, counter narcotics authorities of Pakistan with Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in the lead, confiscated 361 metric tons of drugs, including Heroin, Opium, Cannabis and Methamphetamine etc. Similarly, internation-ally coordinated operations in maritime domain accrued massive seizures. One case in point is the recent seizure (worth nearly US $ 1 billion) by Paki-stan Navy in international waters with assistance from KSA.
Besides active enforcement measures, coordinated campaigns are run to create mass awareness and reduce the drug demand. Pakistan’s premier counter narcotics LEA ANF is running a nationwide campaign, which is centered on the educational institutes of the country. These awareness cam-paigns in universities, colleges, schools and com-munities are meant to inspire the youth and reduce the drugs demand. On the recuperation side, drugs treatment and rehabilitation centres of ANF are functional in Islamabad, Quetta, Karachi, Hydera-bad and Sukkur, affording free of cost services and facilities to the drugs victims. It is therefore, evident that Pakistan is serving as a front line state against global drug trafficking.
Owing to the enormity of challenge, no nation can do it alone. The regional and global forces have to join hands for identification of the root cause, exer-tion of needful pressure on countries patronizing this menace and support the front-line players like Pakistan in their efforts to combat the drugs traffick-ing. Sure and verified destruction of Afghan opium stockpiles under international oversight, systematic crackdown on drug cartels to dismantle the smug-gling chains, stronger trade and border controls and sustainable livelihood programs for Afghan farmers for reduce their dependency on opium cultivation or synthetic drugs manufacturing are the essentially needed steps. Like War on Terror, War againt Drugs has become inevitable as a global slogan today.
—Dr Sana Imran is associated as permanent faculty with a renowned university of Islamabad. She can be reached at [email protected].
