Heroin lab destroyed in war on drugs

COVERT operation in north-east Afghanistan in which a heroin laboratory was destroyed was only the beginning of the country’s war against drugs, an official said at an international conference in Kabul yesterday.

More than 200 delegates gathered in the Afghan capital to discuss the country’s burgeoning narcotics industry, with officials hoping to raise about $300m (€237.5m) to fight the drugs trade which they believe is fuelling terrorism.

Afghanistan, the world’s largest producer of opium used to make heroin, is hosting the conference which it hopes will reawaken donor nations to the drug issues confronting the war-ravaged nation, including increased opium crops and growing numbers of heroin addicts.