Opium

Taliban leader bans cannabis cultivation in Afghanistan

Violators will be punished, according to decree by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

More than 160 die as Afghanistan grapples with coldest winter in 15 years

Temperatures dip as low as -34 degrees Celsius hitting the country in the middle of a severe economic crisis with many residents unable to afford fuel to heat their homes.

UN: Myanmar opium production on the rise, worth as much as $2B

Report says all the heroin reported in East and Southeast Asia and Australia originates in Myanmar, and the country remains the second-largest opium and heroin producer in the world after Afghanistan.

Record-breaking drug seizures point to pandemic narcotics boom

Narco-traffickers defied Covid-19 and now look set to reach new heights, as the stars are aligning for a further expansion of their trade.

'Business as usual': Afghan drug trade continues under Taliban

While the Taliban insisted they would ban narcotic production, major seizures in the region indicate the trade hasn’t missed a beat.

How the Taliban’s economic engine fueled it to power

Most of the group’s funds are drawn from opium production, mining, foreign donations and taxes on exports. Will that be enough to help it govern?

After decades of war, Afghanistan’s drug trade booms like never before

A large meth industry has rapidly emerged that could eventually rival the country’s massive opium trade, adding yet another dimension to Afghanistan’s spiralling drug crisis.

How narcos brought meth labs to Afghanistan

It's not opium farming but cooking meth that the district of Ghoryan quickly earned a reputation for, with traffickers buying the drug from locals at phenomenally low prices.

Violence over opium crops plagues Mexico's Guerrero state

The western Mexican state of Guerrero is one of the most prolific producers of opium in the world.