The Taliban’s involvement and profit from the drug trade- pre and post regime change

• In Event: EXTR7 Crime-terror nexus and terrorist networks

Abstract

Over the last two decades, Afghanistan has been the leading global producer, contributing to over 70% of the world's heroin consumption- a key revenue source sustaining the Taliban. Despite a substantial 95% reduction in opium cultivation in 2023 and a surge in methamphetamine production, a notable gap exists in understanding the implications of the regime change on Afghanistan's drug market.
This research aims to understand the extent of the Taliban’s involvement in the drug trade from 2017 to August 2021, examining its taxation system and relationship with drug trafficking networks. It explores how the regime change and transition from insurgency to de facto authority have impacted the group’s link with the drug trade, and further investigates changes in trafficking routes and modes, along with the impact of the opium ban on methamphetamine production and trafficking in Afghanistan.
The research utilises six semi-structured questionnaires to interview 100 poppy and non-poppy cultivating farmers, 35 drug traffickers, 25 Islamic scholars, and 25 village headmen. Fieldwork is conducted across 10 rural districts and 5 provincial centres in Badakhshan, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand, and Nangarhar during December 2023 and January 2024. Ethics approval for the study was granted by Flinders University.
By collecting firsthand information from key actors directly involved in the illicit drug market, this study shows the major developments in Afghanistan’s drug market since the regime change. It identifies socio-economic and political implications of the opium ban and the rise in methamphetamine production within Afghanistan, potentially influencing the wider region and main consumption markets supplied by drugs produced in Afghanistan.

Author

• Hamid Azizi, Flinders University