KABUL: Officials of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have stated that the reduction in opium cultivation and production in Afghanistan has heightened the likelihood that transnational crime networks will turn to the production of synthetic drugs.
Polick Okey Siri, the UNODC representative for Afghanistan, made the remark during a video message on the occasion of “World Day against Transnational Organized Crime” on Saturday.
The UNODC emphasizes the importance of dismantling transnational crime networks, both in Afghanistan and globally.
Disrupting organized crime networks is crucial as they harm people, communities, economies, and the planet as a whole, Siri emphasized, highlighting the need for socio-economic development initiatives that benefit the people of Afghanistan and the world.
The statements from UN officials come at a time when combating drug cultivation, production, trafficking, sale, and use in Afghanistan remains a priority for the country’s security, defense, and investigative institutions.
It appears that the serious efforts in this regard have resulted in a notable acknowledgment by UNODC officials regarding the decline in opium production in Afghanistan.