"But according to UN expert data, the markets are currently shifting to Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia," it is believed in the service. "These countries, the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes believes, will use additional marketing schemes, that is, heroin will be sold in Russia cheaper than in the neighboring countries, making it more accessible, but, waiving part of the profits, traders will retrieve their losses from greater sale volumes," it was noted in the service.
Its spokesman said that according to the UN commission on drug control Afghanistan has moved to first place in the world for drug production. It accounts for 75 per cent of all raw opium produced across the world. Experts estimate that the amount of raw opium harvested here is about 3,600 tons, which can produce 360 tons of heroin.
According to the drug control agency, about half of all drugs from Afghanistan reach Europe via Iran and Pakistan, and up to 35 per cent through Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and the rest goes via Tajikistan. The Tajik-Afghan and Russian-Kazakh borders account for more than 90 per cent of all drugs seized in recent years by Russian border guards, and nearly for 100 per cent of heroin.
"Drug couriers are constantly improving their tactics, track the movements of border patrols and posts, set up observation posts, spread false information, and use modern means of communication and observation," the agency's source stressed.
In 2004, the service, together with the FSB's border directorate and colleagues from the department for controlling illicit drug traffic of Tajikistan's Interior Ministry, carried out a series of special and troop operations on the Tajik-Afghan border.
"Last year, Tajik and Russian border guards supported by the 201st division confiscated and destroyed up to 10 tons of Afghan opiates. That is a lot in terms of efforts applied, but an insignificant part of all produced drugs which are now flowing across former Central Asian republics and via them into Siberia, the Urals and Europe," it was noted at the service.
In that way, at present, giving the border guards their due, it is more reasonable to say that today Russia is absolutely defenseless against the heroin attack from the south," the service's spokesman added.
