U.S. FEARS INCREASED FLOW OF HEROIN FROM NEW SOURCES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00704A000100040007-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 26, 1999
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: September 6, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

iicrecase
By Stanley Karnow
Wnhhigtoil Post Staff Wrlter
CPYRGHT
American narcotics special-
NO are privately expressing
concern at the prospect of an
increase In the illegal flow of
heroin into the United States
from South and West Asia as
the supply of drugs from
other . foreign sources dwin
dies.
on :iT dn'(T5 `"?s`tuclfcpre-.
pared. by the Central Intelli-
gence Agency and other U.S;
government bureaus warn that
the halt In Turkish opium cul?
t.ivat.ion may spur internation-
al drug; traders to tap fresh
sources of narcotics In India,
Pakistan, Afghanistan and.
Iran.
Turkey's legal opium pro
ductiou is scheduled to end
this year as n result of U.S.
subsidies alined at encourag
ing Turkish farmers to grow
other crops, Most heroin
reaching the United States is
refined in France from opium
of rurkish origin.
The CIA studies, made
available tQ The Washington
Post by columnist Ja0c Ander-
son, estimate that about half
of the total world raw opium
supply of 2,500 tons is pro?
duced In India, Pakistan and
Afghanistan. Iranian output
has Jumped to 1.56 tons in 1971
from eight tons in 1969, when
Iran legalized opium produc-
tion
U.ntil now, little of the
opium grown in South and
West Asia has served as the
raw material for heroin smug-
gled Into the United States,
Rut according to the CIA "the
wIIhciratvnl of `F'tu.kery from
the Illicit world market"
threatens to attract narcotics
merchants seeking new
sources of Supply.
'Vhe U, Bnverr~iiYe.ri~-sCiiilies
calculate that India produces
about 200 tons of Illegal opium
per year. Most of this opium
enters it domestic black mar-
lcet serving some 300,000 In-
t? ~
clian addletA. a' mit e Ph?
ies say, In'c`llltt'Iia. Ile tee i
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ever, that India could become
a supplier of the U?S, market
unless the New 1)ellit govern-
mart acts to Suppress its in-
ternal IIIreol.ies trade, Or as
one (11' the reports p111.8 it:
"Inilin 1s Il?etllreul.ly clLet n
Unitod Nations boilies as a
model for comit.rolled opium
production amid (listribut.ion?
1l! 1?oni the U.S. standpoint, this
Smyth has been detrimental
seven though India is not a
source of U.S. heroin supply.
"Because the myth absolves
New Delhi from dealing scri-
ous'ly with its own addiction
and traffic, it has been able to
strike a pose of moral superi-
ority internationally. This
blocks t1,S.-Indian cooperation
on narcotics matters and di-
vert.s India from a potentially
l
useful role in developing-
effective multilateral pro
grams In the United Nations,
which is a focal point of U.S.
I policy strategy."
The. U.S. report tirgos that
actions. be undertaken by the
Nixon admi.nistrat.ion to "ex;
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Illicit: markets," adding that
"the United States might lose
,sonic good will In the process
,of exposure but not on a scale
'to offset the
ing to Pakistan and At-
~gllallistrin, the CIA studies as.
sect that "laxities in law en-
forcement" in those countries
appear to offer a triifi'icker
easier ai?cess to tribal pr?odu-
cer?s" of opium than in other kT.
Accordin to' anot:lier classi-
fled U.S. government report,
Pakistan produces about 1.75
,to 200 tons of illicit opium per
year, roost of It cultivated in
the country's northwest tribal
regions.
'1'lre report blames the Paki-
Stan governmelit's failures to
suppress the drug trade on
!inefficiency and "official cor-
ruption." it also points out
that the Pakistan,, authorities
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'drug problem because they
fear "a hostile response from
the politically sensitive -fron-
tier tribal areas,"
Recalling that "a number of
diplomatic representations"
made' by the United States to
the Pakistan government have
had 110 "Apparent effect," the
report recommends that the
Nixon administration apply
"pressures and Inducements"
including a halt In U.S. aid to.
persuade the Pakistanis to
deal with their drug output.
According to the U.S. stud-
ies, Afghanistan. produces be-
tween 100 and 125 tons of
opium a year, cultivated
mat ly by Pushtun tribesmen
In the eastern parts of the
country. Most of Afghanistan's
narcotics output-, 'a study
states, is " exported illegally.
"Smuggling is a way of life in
It further concludes. "It is un-
realistic to expect, Afghani-;
stan, which suffers isttie from
the narcotics problem itself, to;
give its solution, the 'highest'
.priority In view of the ex-
de toward narcotics tea r
The U.S. study attributes
the continuation of the Af-
'ghan narcotics trade to "offi-
cial corruption" as well as to a
lack of interest on the part of
the country's authorities.
The report warns against
vigorous , U.S. actions 'that
might increase , Afghan de-
pendence on the Soviet Union,
The study - ruifthel warns
that drug networks operating
out of Afghanistan are ripe to
be taken over by international
.traffickers because the Afghan
.authorities take a benign atti-
7A momorandurn issued
on Juno D, meanwhile, voices
alarm at the growth of opium
Production, and addiction in
Iran.
The mcinorandum stresses
that 'Iran could become a
'transit' area for illegal drugs
moving from South Asia to-
ward Western Europe and the
United States: Some 1.70 tons
of illicit Afghan and Pakistani
opium are currently smuggled'
intp Iran- every year, Accord-,
lug to the document, an Ira.
nian prince who accompanied
Shays Muhammad Reza Pah
lavi was recently chared by
the' Swiss authorities' with,
carrying opium to Geneva. +
After a 14-year ban on
opium output, the 'Shah legal-
ized the production of .drug In
1909, partly in order to stop a
drain on the country's foreign
currency reserves through
smuggling. Ilia decision was
denounced by the United Nhs4
tions at the. time as "tragic?,,'
-for both Iran an4, other na-
tions.
Since then; says the CIA:4'.
memorancum, Iran has regis-'',,,
tered about DO 000 narcotics
addicts. But this represents'
only. one-fourth of the esti-~
mated 400,400 drug users in
the country. '
? This year,.the memorandum
calculates, the . demand forF
opium in Iran will total. about,.
.350 tons-roughly two=third-s"
of which will come from do-`?
mestic production and the rest',
from contraband supplies:
The CIA documept esl.i
mates, however, that seaman'
opium production should sooiV
satisfy and even exceed inter.
nni needs. At than point, the.
memorandum warns, the coun-
try could become .,a. nni cotics;,
exporter and. , ' also a grug4
transit channel.
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