MOSCOW. Dec 6 (Interfax-AVN) - Afghanistan remains the leading supplier of drugs, including hard drugs, to Russia and the West, Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Border Guard Service Colonel General Alexei Kozhevnikov told the press in Moscow on Friday.
"According to UN expert estimations, the 2002 harvest of drugs in Afghanistan is roughly the same as in previous years, of which from 2,500 to 3,000 tonnes is raw opium," Kozhevnikov said.
At the same time, he said information indicates that this year, Afghanistan could reap up to 3,500 tonnes of drugs. In addition, the country has drug stocks remaining from previous years.
"Drug-trafficking routes include not only Russia. There are routes running through Iran, Turkey, and the Balkans as well," he said.
This year, the share of hard drugs, primarily heroin, has exceeded half of the amount seized on the Afghan-Tajik border. "The volume of heroin seized reached 61% of all seized drugs," he said.