Drug Trafficking Emerging As Top National Security Threat
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Tajik leaders say the country’s war against drug traffickers is enjoying significant success. Nevertheless, the volume of narcotics coming out of neighboring Afghanistan is such that Tajik drug control officers are being overwhelmed. Some local observers suggest the trafficking problem is eclipsing Islamic radical activity as Tajikistan’s top security threat. News on drug-related arrests seem to be a daily feature in Tajik and Russian media. On May 7, for example, the Itar-Tass news agency reported that Russian border troops detained smugglers in southern Tajikistan carrying 16 kilograms of heroin, along with automatic weapons. Another report the same day said a Tajik court sentenced two Tajik army servicemen to 18-year jail terms for trafficking offenses. In an April 26 speech, President Imomali Rahmonov said Tajikistan ranked fourth in the world in drug seizures, intercepting roughly three tons of narcotics with an estimated street value of $1.4 billion since the start of 2003. Russian border guards confiscated over 200 kilograms (about 440 pounds) of heroin during the first week of May alone, Itar-Tass added. In 2002, interdiction efforts netted more than seven tons of drugs, United Nations statistics show. Rahmonov pointed out that Tajikistan was responsible for 85 percent of all the drug seizures in Central Asia, adding that “our special services are doing quite a good job.” At the same time, Rahmonov admitted that the trafficking issue remained a “headache” for Tajikistan and other countries, and indicated that the problem was increasing in severity. According to international agency estimates, even in the best-case scenario, authorities are successful in interdicting only up to 10 percent of the total amount of drugs being smuggled. More : eurasianet.org |