Afghan Heroin Seized In Russia

(RFE/RL) August 28, 2006 -- Authorities in Yekaterinburg have seized 160 kilograms of Afghan heroin found hidden in a refrigerated truck.

Russian news agencies say three people were arrested in connection with the seizure of the drugs, found on August 25 at a vegetable warehouse in the Urals region city, about 1,500 kilometers east of Moscow.


The truck was registered in Uzbekistan. Police indicated the suspects are from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.


(Reuters)

Opium In Afghanistan

Opium In Afghanistan
An antidrug billboard in Kabul shows a skeleton hanging from an opium bulb (AFP)

OPIUM FARMING ON THE RISE Despite a nationwide program by the Afghan government to eradicate opium-poppy fields and offer farmers alternative crops, international experts say that the 2006 opium crop will be as much as 40 percent larger than the previous year's. Afghanistan is the largest producer of opium in the world, and the source of as much as 90 percent of Europe's heroin.(more)


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