CBC Newsworld ran a documentary on the opium road between Afghanistan and Iran.It was incredible to see the infrastructure that the Iranians have built in their efforts to curtail smuggling of opium across their border with Afghanistan.Every pass is blocked by cement abutments and canals and ditches.Heavily armed soldiers fight running gun battles with smugglers and the bodies were strewn all over the place.The end result;the Iranians seized 30 tonnes of opium out of the 6000 tonnes shipped.The crew filming the movie was given a performance by the local farmers as they pretended to destroy some poppies but quit on cue when the documentary crew said they had enough footage.They then went,cops,farmers and drug lords,into the village to negotiate for the years second crop.!/2 tonne of opium was eventually sold for 38 dollars a kilo.It takes 10 kilos of opium to make one kilo of morphine base.It takes 1 kilo of morphine base to make one kilo of heroin.The farmers and drug lord in the film were seen making either base or heroin right there in the fields.This is evidently because they don't make enough money on just opium to get ahead.The Afghan government is so corrupt that even the American ambassador conceded that to go after the opium trade would be useless until the country gets some infrastructure,a properly paid police force,court and prison system and proper jails.Just pining for the good old US criminal justice system to wind up and start jailing Afghan farmers.His words not mine.The local Afghan youth were beginning to succumb to addiction as there are no opportunities for employment except in the army or the opium trade.Pretty deadly no matter what side you're on.
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