Drug traffickers running routes through war zones, warns UN official

“Today, The illicit drug market is becoming more and more unpredictableLeaded by the impact of synthetic drugs ”, Ghada Wally, the general director of the UN drug and crime office (Unodc), saidapproaching the opening of the latest session of the commission for narcotic drugs in Vienna.

“The traffic routes are carried out through areas of war and state vacuums, from Haiti to the Levant to the Golden Triangle, feeding instability.”

Following the global illicit drug trade

With over 2,000 participants and 179 side events, the commission session takes place from March 10 to 14, experts from all over the world taking the balance of narcotic drug trade, while countries are caught with mortal opioid waves, also emphasizing the earnings obtained through joint operations.

In turn, UNODC supports more than 180 border control units in 87 countries to intercept drug flows. In 2024, non-focus seizures included 300 tons of cocaine, 240 tons of synthetic drugs and 100 tons of precursors.

“We facilitate backtracking investigations, we bring together law enforcement agencies and prosecutors from source, transit and destination countries,” explained Mrs. Whaly.

Follow the opening session Here:

A new black market

He also warned of emerging threats. Technology turns radically and accelerates how drugs are sold and distributedWith Dark Web, Dark Web has created a “new black market” for synthetic drugs and precursors, said Mrs. Whaly.

“Cryptocurrencies allow traffickers to move undetective illicit profitsAnd social media platforms have become major channels for promoting and advertising online drugs, especially targeting young people and users, ”she said.

She also warned that drug trafficking networks capitalize on these changes to extend their coverage.

Following the most urgent threat

One of the biggest threats is synthetic drugs, she said. Synthetic manufacturing laboratories are discovered in new countries and regions. Indeed, more than 1,300 distinct psychoactive substances at UNODC have been reported so far.

At the same time, amphetamine stimulants and pharmaceutical opioids record record seizures. The synthetic opioids of the nitasin class are increasing, with 26 different substances related to UNODC so far, she added.

“Synthetic drugs have become one of the most urgent and evasive drug challenges we face“Said Mrs. Whaly. “It evolves every day, they extend at hand and grow in potency.”

Clandestine laboratories

Clandestine production laboratories occur in certain parts of the world, usually, which is not known to produce synthetic drugs, said Mrs. Whaly.

The methods of making medicines and their means of trafficking are constantly evolving. Now, the Internet grows as a drug market, as well as a platform to change knowledge on how to do them.

Unlike herbal substances, synthetic drugs can be made quickly, at a low cost, almost anywhere in the world. They can also be moved across the bulk borders, often hidden in legitimate exports or in such large quantities that individual seizures “barely do a dent,” said Mrs. Whaly.

“Simpler said, are harder to identify, interception and interruption“She added.

Feed instability

Each region suffered from the spread of synthetic drugs, she said, citing more examples:

In the Middle East and Africa, Captagon trade – an extremely popular dependence on the battlefield – has fueled instability, production and smuggling now related to conflict, said Mrs. Whaly.

In Iraq, the seizures of the drug increased by more than 3,300 percent between 2019 and 2023, the authorities confiscating 4.1 tonnes in a single year.

She said they were discovered by large stocks in Syria, adding that the situation that followed Assad’s fall requires careful monitoring and attention.

In Southern Asia -est, the authorities confiscated a 190 tonnes of methamphetamine in 2023, the criminal networks exploiting the porous borders of the region to move their product. Method products are often found in heroin, counterfeit vapors and tablets and can be even stronger than fentanyl.

The Narcotic Drug Commission was established by Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) in 1946 to help supervise the application of international drug control treaties. Learn more about the commission Here.