Drug traffickers running routes through war zones, top UN official warns
Baku, March 11, AZERTAC
A “new black market” for synthetics and drug trafficking through war zones are fuelling instability around the world, the chief of the UN drugs and crime office said on Monday, according to the UNODC official website.
“Today, the illicit drug market is becoming more unpredictable, driven by the impact of synthetic drugs,” Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said, addressing the opening of the latest session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.
“Trafficking routes run through war zones and rule of law vacuums, from Haiti to the Levant to the Golden Triangle, fueling instability.”
With over 2,000 participants and 179 side events, the commission’s session takes place from 10 to 14 March, with experts from around the world taking stock of the narcotic drugs trade as countries grapple with deadly tides of opioids like fentanyl while also highlighting gains made through joint operations.
For its part, UNODC supports more than 180 border control units in 87 countries to intercept drug flows. In 2024, UN-facilitated seizures included 300 tonnes of cocaine, 240 tonnes of synthetic drugs and 100 tonnes of precursors.
“We are facilitating backtracking investigations, bringing together law enforcement agencies and prosecutors from source, transit and destination countries,” Waly explained.
She also warned of emerging threats. Technology is radically transforming and accelerating how drugs are sold and distributed, with the dark web having created a “new black market” for synthetic drugs and precursors, Waly said.
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