The International Heroin Market
ONDCP FACT SHEET
Overview
Foreign sources of opium are responsible for the entire supply of heroin consumed in the U.S. Efforts to reduce domestic heroin availability face significant challenges. Unlike cocaine, which is concentrated in South America, opium production occurs in three source regions-Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and Latin America-creating a worldwide problem. While an undetermined amount of the opium is consumed in the producing regions, a significant amount of the drug is converted to heroin and sent to Europe, Russia, Central Asia, China, and North America. The routes, volume, and methods for the transshipment of heroin vary between the producing regions. Heroin from all three regions reaches the United States, using all forms of air, maritime, and overland conveyances.
Historically, most of the world's illicit opium for heroin has been grown in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia. However, over the last decade, opium production in the Golden Triangle has declined by over 87 percent while cultivation rates in Southwest Asia have increased considerably. In 2007, Afghanistan was the world's largest opium supplier (accounting for 93 percent of the world's opium, according to UN estimates). Also during the 1990's, Latin America evolved as the primary supplier of heroin to the United States, with Mexican heroin most prevalent in the west and Colombian heroin most prevalent in the east. With long-established trafficking and distribution networks and exclusive markets for black tar, brown powder and white heroin, Mexico and Colombia's hold on the U.S. heroin market seems to be secure but cross-regional trafficking is gaining in importance. According to UN reports, there are indications that a small but increasing proportion of opiates from Afghanistan are being trafficked to North America, either via eastern and western Africa, or via Europe.
In 2007, despite large increases in opium cultivation and production in Afghanistan, the number of poppy-free provinces increased from 12 to 15. However, progress in these areas was more than offset by increased opium poppy cultivation in the southwest region, resulting in the production of 8,000 tons of opium, 42 percent more than in 2006 (Ibid). An increasingly large portion of Afghanistan's raw opium crop is processed into heroin and morphine base by drug labs inside Afghanistan, reducing its bulk by a factor of 10 to 1, and thereby facilitating its movement to markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East through Iran, Pakistan, and Central Asia. In the South, there is a symbiotic relationship between narco-traffickers and the insurgency as narcotics traffickers provide revenue and arms to the insurgency, while insurgents provide protection to growers and traffickers to prevent the government from interfering with their activities. Further, drug-related corruption continues to undercut international reconstruction efforts and good governance as government officials abuse their positions by benefiting financially from the drug trade.
The key to curbing heroin production and trafficking lies with the source countries. The profitability of growing opium poppy and the lack of resources or commitment by regional governments to implement crop substitution, alternative development, or eradication are key factors that prevent significant progress toward reducing opium production. The remote location and rugged terrain of poppy growing areas are major obstacles to establishing crop-substitution programs. The lack of a transportation infrastructure in most opium producing regions further complicates crop substitution because farmers have difficulty moving alternative crops to distant markets.
Outlook
Additional progress can be achieved if governments increase their commitment to interdiction, crop eradication, capacity building, and alternative development. U.S.-backed crop-control programs have reduced illicit opium cultivation in Guatemala, Pakistan, Thailand, and Turkey. Both Colombia and Mexico have aggressive heroin control programs. Colombia reduced it opium poppy cultivation by almost half from 2005 to 2006, resulting in increased prices and reduced purity on American streets.
Afghanistan's difficult security and economic environment and political fragility limit the government's ability to counter drug production and trafficking. Sustained progress against the drug trade will require continued commitment to the comprehensive counternarcotics implementation plan adopted by the Government of Afghanistan and its international partners over years. Until Afghanistan has a stable security environment with sustainable rural and private sectors and robust law enforcement capability, drug production and trafficking will continue. Continued assistance and political support by the international community, over many years, will be necessary to ensure that the Afghan government can achieve its objectives.
The United States continues to help strengthen law enforcement in heroin source countries, such as Afghanistan, by supporting training programs, information sharing, eradication, mentoring assistance, capacity building, and anti-money laundering measures. The United States will continue to work with and provide support to opium poppy producing countries by creating both incentives for opium growers to participate in licit livelihoods, while simultaneously strengthening the disincentives to participation in the narcotics industry through increased interdiction, eradication, and other law enforcement efforts.
