Amanda Walker
Sky News
Russian authorities have told Sky News that Western forces in Afghanistan are to blame for the country’s status as the world’s biggest heroin consumer.
The head of Russia’s anti-narcotics federal agency says that British troops in Helmand Province are not doing enough to stem production of the world’s deadliest drug.
“Sixty percent of all opiates in the world are produced in the area that the British forces are responsible for,” said Viktor Ivanov.
“There were 25 hectares of opium in 2004. Now there are 90,000. This shows you how effective they are.”
Vast swathes of borderland between Russia and Kazakhstan are prime territory for smuggling heroin from Afghanistan; road and rail are the primary methods of transit.
