Iran battens down border to stem rise in drug smuggling from Afghanistan

In the face of Afghanistan's unprecedented boom in opium production, neighbouring Iran is trying to batten down its border to slow down smuggling, building moats, walls and other large-scale projects.

Iran spent more than US$26 million last year alone on the border projects, which also include large embankments, new border posts and lengths of barbed wire along parts of its 2,000-kilometre border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"The transit of narcotics is a complicated issue. Smugglers are wealthy. They change tactics and use modern equipment that makes it more and more difficult to discover. We need new, modern equipment to combat drugs effectively," General Ali Moayedi, Iran's anti-narcotics police chief, said during a recent tour of the border.

Neighbouring Afghanistan is the main source of drugs coming into Iran and heading to Europe and the US.

Last year, 209,000 hectares of poppies were planted across Afghanistan, up 36 per cent over the year before. They produced an estimated 5,500 tonnes of opium, according to the United Nations drug agency. By comparison, only a little over 7,000 hectares of poppy field were eradicated.

This year's harvest is expected to match or even exceed last year's record. In coming years, opium will grab an even larger share of Afghanistan's already troubled economy, as money from US military contracts and aid work dries up. The UN estimates that some 200,000 families in Afghanistan are involved in opium production and that the country has some one million addicts.