U.N. sees sharp spike in heroin found at Afghan airports on India-bound passengers

(Reuters) - U.N. officials recorded a sharp spike this year in the amount of heroin being seized from passengers trying to fly from Afghanistan to India, a worrying trend since the Taliban insurgency lines its pockets on the illegal drug trade.

A lack of coordination is hampering efforts to clamp down on the route, officials said, withIndia blaming Afghanistan for poor cooperation in helping to track smugglers.

In January alone, officials intercepted 44 kilograms of heroin from Afghan airports in eight separate cases, compared to 50 kilograms of heroin and hashish seized during the whole of last year, according to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) data.

Most of the cases have involved passengers trying to board flights bound for the Indian capital New Delhi after swallowing as much 2 kg of the illegal opiate in capsules, like condoms.

The spike is an "alarming trend," said Mark Colhoun, deputy representative to the UNODC in Afghanistan.  "These mule are small fry," he said. "You need to track down the networks." Read More

U.N. sees sharp spike in heroin found at Afghan airports on India-bound passengers