BBC News
Afghanistan's name has long been associated with the drug trade. Business is booming under the current Taliban government. The country, which until recently was considered important for poppy cultivation and heroin exports, has now grown into a new and dangerous drug fungus called Crystal Meth.
The BBC saw white crystals glistening in dozens of plastic bags in a small room in a rural area in southern Afghanistan. This is methamphetamine. In remote countries like Australia, a 100 kg bag can cost up to $ 2 million. Nearby I saw smoke rising. It turned out that meth was being made here.
A meth trader said on condition of anonymity that about 500 makeshift factories in this southwestern district of Afghanistan produce 3,000kg of crystal meth on a daily basis.
The latest discovery behind this new drug menace is that a common growing herb called ephedra (locally called oman) could be used to make ephedrine, the main ingredient in meth.
In the past, the Taliban used to tax ephedra cultivation. But in recent days, the Taliban have announced a ban on its cultivation, but the decree has not received much publicity.
The ephedra plant also produces crystal meth in other parts of the world but not on the same scale as it is grown in Afghanistan.
'The fog is shining'
Currently, the Taliban are not stopping meth factories from operating openly. One person involved in the scam told us with a laugh that the ban on ephedra has made the business even brighter because the prices of meth have doubled overnight while they have several warehouses full of this herb that they can use in the future. Can do
Dr. David Mansfield has been working on the drug trade in Afghanistan for some time. They have traced several meth-making laboratories and factories using satellite imagery.
He says the ban on ephedra cultivation by the Taliban came at a time when farmers had already harvested, which is why the real effects of the ban will not be known until a new crop is harvested in July next year. There is no time for planting.
He believes that the heroin trade will soon lag far behind the pace at which meth is currently being produced in Afghanistan.
"I know it's harmful, but how do you make money?"
Opium derived from poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is considered to be about 80% of the world's supply and its business is doing well today. Farmers across Afghanistan have been preparing for poppy cultivation in recent weeks. "We know it's harmful, but it's difficult to make money growing anything else," says Mohammad Ghani of Kandahar.
It should be noted that the country's economy has been in a state of turmoil since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. In this case, poppy cultivation is the only solution for the farmers here. Drought and water scarcity have also forced poppy cultivation.
According to Mohammad Ghani, water wells have to be dug to cultivate something else. If you grow okra or tomatoes, you will not get even half the price of the well.
Speculation that the Taliban will ban poppy cultivation in the future has not only pushed up prices, but farmers say they are growing more and more.
"Ever since the Taliban liberated the country, we have been liberated."
The business is booming now that the same drug dealers who previously secretly sold goods to corrupt Afghan officials are now seen setting up stalls in open markets.
"Ever since the Taliban liberated the country, we have been liberated," said one dealer with a smile.
Contrary to many people's beliefs, the Taliban are still cautious. In Helmand province, the Taliban stopped the BBC from recording in a large opium market, saying it was a forbidden area.
When we asked if the ban on media coverage was due to allegations that some Taliban were making a profit from the business, Hafiz Rashid, head of the Taliban's local cultural commission, not only threatened to end the interview but also threatened to do so. He said that if the footage was not destroyed in front of them then the camera would be broken.
A similar incident took place in Kandahar, near Helmand, where the BBC was first allowed to record in the opium market, but was later told that this would not be possible.
Scenes of opium sales in Kandahar market
'We will not allow Taliban to ban opium'
The Taliban spokesman in Kabul, Bilal Karimi, told the BBC that the Taliban were currently looking for alternative opportunities for farmers. Unless we can give people some alternatives, how can we stop them?"
It should be noted that during the first Taliban government, they finally banned the cultivation of opium. But after the defeat by US forces, the Taliban made it a source of income by taxing opium cultivation. But they still do not openly acknowledge this fact.
Drug traffickers say the Taliban could successfully re-impose the ban if they wish. But there are those who believe that this will not happen. "Opium is the key to their success," one farmer told the BBC. We will not allow them to ban opium unless the international community helps the Afghan people. Otherwise we will be hungry, what will we feed our families? '
Dr Mansfield says the recent rise in food and farming-related prices due to Afghanistan's economic crisis will push farmers and those involved in the drug trade to grow their businesses so they can maintain their incomes.
Economic crisis: Along with meth, the heroin business is also booming
The economy of many parts of Afghanistan is now linked to the drug trade. Near Helmand is a series of small villages called Gandham Rez, which can only be reached by a dirt road. Surprisingly, this remote location is currently the center of the global heroin market. Not only is opium sold in the open market, but there are countless factories that make heroin from opium. Each factory employs 60-70 people. From here, heroin is smuggled to Pakistan and Iran, from where it is smuggled to other parts of the world, including Europe.
A local man, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that one kilogram of exported quality heroin sells for about 210,000 Pakistani rupees. According to a former drug smuggler involved in the UK in the past, this one kilogram of heroin can cost up to 66,000 pounds by the time it reaches the UK. International transporters make more money, but the Taliban benefit by taxing heroin makers.
Dr Mansfield says the Taliban received $35 million in taxes from the drug trade in 2020. "When the Taliban first came to power, it took them six years to ban drugs. At that time, it was just a matter of opium." He says given the current economic situation in Afghanistan, any sanctions would be seen as a punishment by those who supported him.
Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi says eradication of drugs is in the interest of both Afghanistan and the world, so the world should help them.
'Drugs are getting cheaper now'
Drugs made in Afghanistan are not just exported. They are also being consumed locally, with a large number of Afghans becoming addicted to drugs.
Near the busy highways of the capital Kabul, hundreds of people can be seen in small groups addicted to heroin and crystal meth.
One of them said that earlier in Afghanistan, meth was smuggled from Iran at a price of 1,500 afghanis per gram. "Now it has become cheaper because it is made in Afghanistan and one gram costs 30-40 afghanis."
The Taliban often pick them up and take them to drug rehabilitation centers. But they come back again. At the moment, it seems that the supply of drugs is increasing not only in Afghanistan but all over the world.
